Portrait: Sammy
I had a massive stroke that affected my left brain. I was healthy, going out, taking care of my two kids and a husband, and working full time. Out of the blue, I fell back to my bed and slumped down to the floor. I thought...‘oh my, this is going to be it’.
A little bit about Sammy
My story starts here: I had a massive stroke that affected my left brain. I was healthy, going out, taking care of my two kids and a husband, and working full time. Out of the blue, I fell back to my bed and slumped down to the floor. I thought...‘oh my, this is going to be it’.
There was no pain, I told myself I’m going to die, but right now, my heart is full.
So, this started around 10:30 in the morning. My phone was upstairs so there was no way for me to call anyone. After four hours, I was crawling to the hall as my eight-year-old daughter got home and saw me. I live in a very rural community, so it took an hour for the ambulance to arrive and then another hour to drive to the hospital. My mom, dad and my husband were waiting while I was getting an MRI, and they heard “stroke alarm”. My mom realised the alarm was for me. I was then airflighted to the state capital in Jackson Ms.
Two weeks passed while I was still in UMMC. They eventually found out that I had a hole in my heart (PFO) which was the reason for my stroke. The doctor repaired my PFO in January 2024.
Recovering from stroke and aphasia therapy
Following the surgery, I went to Northport Alabama where I had intense rehab. I didn’t have any physical effects, but the word that I kept hearing was “aphasia”. I had no idea what aphasia was. I had to relearn how to speak, comprehend and read. When my husband and I were still at UMMC, I remember trying to figure out my phone, and I blurted out “I can't read.” He told me “You can read”, and I said it one more time “I can’t read”.
I went to in-patient therapy and I was getting better, but I was still struggling to make full sentences . When I went back home, I was practicing using questions such as “What is this?” I first started with naming the furniture, my kids' names, and my dogs. The reading was hard. I had to relearn the ABC's. I was practicing every day.
I worked so hard to talk and read again. I remember when we were at home, my daughter was so kind and helped me with reading.
Once back home, I continued having therapy two days a week as an outpatient and I also benefitted from online speech therapy on zoom twice a week.
How I am today
I am still getting better, but it is still very hard. Having a stroke was a traumatic event, but I am thankful. I am extremely thankful for my speech therapists. They have grown to be true friends and I love them so much. The support of my family and friends has also been invaluable.
After 10 months, I completed rehabilitation. Some of my highs were returning to my old career and spending a lot of time with my kids. Some of my lows include the unknown around the potential impact on my mental health and whether I will ever regain all my words..
Word of advice to other survivors
Take a minute and breathe it out. You are going to get better, but some unknown might remain as to whether you fully recover.
I had a second chance at life and I'm going to make the most of it! One of my favorite sayings is “c’est la vie”, that's life. When you get hit, you better stand up and fight.