What Is A Stroke

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Before having a stroke at the age of 43, I really didn’t know what a stroke was. My knowledge of a stroke was that it happened to old people. Or to individuals with high blood pressure or high cholesterol. I thought of a stroke as a medical condition that attacked one’s physical body. But I had never taken a second thought about a stroke actually attacking and affecting one’s brain.

Brain injuries are invisible. Most only associate the physical signs of Stroke. I will talk more about this in an upcoming blog post. But trust me, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes.

Commonly visible residuals of a stroke include

• facial droop to one side of the stroke warrior’s body
• one’s gait as they walk
• how one holds the affected side’s arm or foot drop

But these things never made me think about a stroke occurring in the brain or affecting the brain in any way. In cases such as mine, without any visible signs to the naked eye, you’d never know I suffered an ischemic stroke in April 2021.

Let’s answer the question. What Is A Stroke?

Inova Neuroscience explains that strokes are aptly referred to as a “brain attack.” When there is an interruption of blood flow to the brain, either because of a clot or a ruptured blood vessel, sudden brain damage occurs. 

INOVA is where I was taken for care during the onset of my Stroke due to a rare cause.

I have replayed the day of my Stroke over in my mind numerous times, wondering if I missed anything. I’ve examined pictures and videos of days, weeks, and months prior to April 17, 2021, as well. And there is absolutely nothing alarming to me.

There were days when I was angry. I wanted to know WHY ME. I had done everything right when it came to my health.

I was angry, scared, and sad. I was on an emotional roller coaster. An emotional roller coaster that I didn’t know how to stop. But I picked myself up and found the blessing and joy in what I’ve gone through. Yes, I said joy. The joy of being alive and sharing my journey no matter how difficult and scary it may be. I’m here to share my story to bring awareness, help save lives and shine a light of hope and support to other stroke survivors and loved ones. 

I will leave you with a song I listen to often as a reminder and refresher to my soul. Not Lucky, I’m Loved.

Originally published on Stroke Talks May 2023, now part of the Mamas and Coffee® community. Learn more about stroke awareness, recovery, and survivor stories at mamasandcoffee.com/stroke-talks.

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