13

Luckily I work at a hospital so I didn't need to go far. As we were walking to the ED my friend mentioned that even though it was unlikely I was having a stroke, I should tell the person at the check-in desk that I was having one to be on the safe side. I think I was pretty calm up until this point, but when the doctor said the words "stroke code" I immediately started to cry. Could this be happening to me? I'm only 30 years old, I'm too young to be having a stroke! Is it going to progress to

September

2018

12

In the summer of 2014, my boyfriend, Paul and I went on a road trip through the Southwest, exploring state/national parks, hiking and climbing rocks. I also toured the University of Colorado and was in the process of applying for graduate programs and studying for the GRE. But less than a month after we returned home from our road trip, I began having strange symptoms that I’d never experienced... Over a series of 3 days, I had been feeling progressively scarier things: they began with subtle

September

2018

10

Unfortunately, 15 years ago at the age of just 21, I suffered a massive brain stem haemorrhage and was given less than 1% chance of survival. The brain haemorrhage was caused by an abnormal blood vessel (AVM) that was congenital from birth which meant that no one knew it was there. So how did that fatal day pan out? I woke up with a bad headache which wasn’t unusual as I had had a busy few months with studying for my college course and ironically it was the day of my final exam. For a few

September

2018

08

At 36 years old, I was still extremely active despite being in the third trimester of my fourth pregnancy. I was an involved mom, active in my church, and still coached occasionally, having played two sports in college. In every way, I was fit and healthy. As we sat enjoying our lunch, the unthinkable happened. My family watched as suddenly the left side of my face slumped and my speech began to slur. Right away I knew something was very wrong.  As a trained physician, my husband recognized the

September

2018

08

Some may say coincidence, I say God. Here are some “coincidences” surrounding the two strokes I had in 2016. My then three-year-old daughter’s ear ache brought us to the emergency room in the middle of the night. I had my first stroke as we sat down to fill out her admissions paperwork. I was in the right place at the right time, instead of likely asleep. Spoiler alert, nothing was wrong with my daughter, but her “ear ache” may have saved my life. My mom offered to come to the ER with us for

September

2018