Stroke

Kaelyn Mulcahy Apple Valley, MN

Last year, when I was 21, I had three strokes. I was at work when the first one happened. I was dizzy and a little disoriented with a bad headache on the left side of my head and sharp pain at the back of my neck. After an hour and still not feeling well I went home. I took a nap, which is when I believe I had the next two strokes since when I woke up I was so much worse. My head hurt even more and I couldn’t walk straight. I was so dizzy that it caused me to throw up four times. My roommate drove me to the ER. The doctor took a CT scan and when that was clear he ruled my symptoms as a really bad migraine. He gave me a pill for the nausea and the vertigo and told me to take Excedrin for my headache. My nausea and vertigo went away but no matter how often I took Excedrin Migraine for my headaches they never fully went away.

Four days later, April 4th, I passed out at work. I called my mom and she wanted me to see my primary doctor. I had a hard time getting in to see him. It wasn’t until my mom asked to speak with him personally that I got in. Bless him; he skipped his lunch on April 6th to see me. He didn’t like the sound of my symptoms and was angry that the ER doctors in Mankato didn’t do further testing. My doctor had me do an MRI and it showed three strokes in my cerebellum. I was immediately admitted into the ER and transferred to Fairview Southdale where I stayed for 4 days getting all kinds of tests done. Turns out I have a PFO (hole between my right and left atrial), a clotting disorder, hereditary high cholesterol, and a fainting disorder. The whole situation didn’t hit me until 2 ½ weeks after I was released. I didn’t know myself that summer. I was sad at first then became angry. Finally I became scared. I was scared that I would have another stroke, one that would have lasting damage, and scared for my life. Mostly I was scared that since I will be considered a high risk pregnancy, I wouldn’t be able to have children, and if I could that something would happen to the baby. I was so depressed and stressed and I would snap at my roommates over everything. That’s not like me at all, I always felt so bad afterwards. I had to distract my mind every second of the day or else I would break down crying. Every night I cried myself to sleep. I cried so hard I got a bunch of little blood vessels under my eyes. I didn’t laugh for real until the beginning of July. I threw myself into my work; I would pick up shifts helping in lumber. I had to ask a day off every week to go to a doctor appointment, otherwise I worked every day. I didn’t have a day off for myself until mid- July. Once school started again I was better. I still had to distract myself during the day but I was mostly myself again. I am a lot better now, still struggle every now and then but I am doing good. I don’t want someone else my age, or anyone, to have to go through what I went through.

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Dr. Amie Hsia, District of Columbia

How do you build a passion for stroke?  Dr. Amie Hsia is absolutely driven to reduce the gap in knowledge about stroke awareness. As a stroke fellow at Stanford University, Hsia was asked to work on stroke issues in the community. She was staggered by the lack of understanding about stroke in the community, and has since worked to reduce those disparities.

Hsia now serves as Medical Director of the MedStar Washington Hospital Center Stroke Center, and has partnered with American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) in their shared mission to increase stroke awareness and to assist community members in utilizing available resources. Hsia hopes that community members can gain a basic level of awareness before they are faced with an emergency situation. She says, “Even if people think they aren’t at risk, it may affect people around them, whether that is family members, coworkers, or friends.”

In addition to the great challenge of increasing awareness in the community, Dr. Hsia quickly realized the importance of improving health policies locally. Her passion has made her a key AHA/ASA advocate for important legislation in the District. Her credentials and extensive knowledge base allow her to contribute reliable testimony to legislators as they evaluate policies related to cardiovascular disease and stroke. She recently testified at a D.C. City Council hearing in support of the Telehealth Reimbursement Act. “It was a key opportunity to have a voice,” Hsia said of the experience.

Along with AHA/ASA, Dr. Hsia has celebrated the victories achieved in increasing stroke awareness and level of care. These successes have encouraged her to continue working with AHA/ASA and to devote her time and resources to make positive changes in the community. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hsia and colleagues running a stroke awareness event for the community

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Before my stroke, I was on top of the world. I had a wonderful job in fashion merchandising, owned a beach property in San Diego, lived in a beautiful apartment in New York and have accomplished a lot at a young age.

Three years ago, when I was 32, my life came to a screeching halt after I suffered a massive stroke. I was alone in my apartment and it wasn’t until three days later that a friend found me lying on the floor, paralyzed and unable to speak.

I spent two months in the hospital and continue to undergo speech and physical therapy. Last December, I was proud to get my driver license back and regain my mobility and independence.

If there’s anything I’d like people to learn from my story, it’s to listen to your body and learn the warning signs of a stroke. I had sudden, severe headaches for three days before I collapsed at home but I did not think to go to the doctor because I didn’t know this could be a symptom of stroke.

The American Heart Association's F.A.S.T. campaign aims to communicate the importance of recognizing what sometimes could be subtle signs of a stroke. F.A.S.T. stands for Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty and Time to call 9-1-1. To learn more about the F.A.S.T. stroke warning signs and other sudden symptoms of a stroke, visit www.strokeassociation.org.

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Mary Kay Ballasiotes, North Carolina

Mary Kay Ballasiotes has been advocating for children for over 15 years.  Her daughter, Michelle had a stroke before she was born and that moment changed both of their lives forever. Mary Kay’s advocacy days started in 2002 in Chicago where she founded the Childhood Stroke & Hemiplegia Connections of Illinois, simply because there was a need for it.  Before long, Mary Kay and her daughter were fixtures at Lobby Day.  At National Lobby Day, May 2006, Mary Kay spoke with the Vice President of the American Stroke Association (ASA) and told him about her daughter having a stroke before birth.  She learned that the VP had never heard of pediatric stroke. From that day on Mary Kay made it her mission to collaborate with the American Heart Association (AHA) and the ASA about pediatric stroke, and to raise awareness about it.

Over the years, Mary Kay and Michelle attended heart walks, lobby days, and were very vocal about pediatric stroke in each state they have lived in: Illinois, Georgia, and now North Carolina.

Making a difference in people’s lives is the most rewarding element of being part of advocacy.  Mary Kay and Michelle have attended many lobby days over the years, both national and state.  The experience never gets old to Mary Kay.  She loves seeing how her passion and effort can make a difference, and strongly feels that one person can make a difference!  In August 2010, Mary Kay and her family moved to North Carolina where she soon started working with Betsy Vetter, the AHA Director of Government Relations in the Mid-Atlantic Affiliate.  Mary Kay readily admits her love of working with Betsy.  She is one of the reasons Mary Kay is still volunteering and advocating with AHA.  Mary Kay feeds off Betsy’s passion and enthusiasm and feels that Betsy has a gift for working with volunteers and government officials.

Mary Kay is very proud of her daughter Michelle and the hard work that she has been doing right alongside her mother. While back in Chicago in 2007, Michelle was chosen to be one of the 12 “Faces of Cardiovascular Disease.”  Her image was captured on one of many large posters that were circulated around the United States for Heart Walks.  These posters are still being used today.  Because of Mary Kay and Michelle’s hard work, they were both featured in an ABC news article once again shedding light on pediatric stroke. In 2009, Michelle was honored with the Stroke Hero of the Year and received the National Youth Advocate of the Year award.

Mary Kay’s calling is to advocate for children. She feels that things happen for a reason. The stroke that Michelle suffered enabled both Michelle and Mary Kay to reach other families and make a difference in their lives and in the area of pediatric stroke.  Mary Kay does not have much free time, but when she does, she enjoys going out to lunch with friends and reading. 

One great memory Mary Kay has included that of her son, Alex.  While driving back from picking Alex up at college, he remarked how much he admires the work that she has done over the years.  The example that Mary Kay has provided has empowered him to pay it forward by getting involved in politics and leadership roles.   May Kay continues to advocate for children and wants everyone to know that one person can make a difference.

 

 

 Advocate interview provided by Blog Contributor Amanda Orfitelli.

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