A stroke, also known as Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA), is when blood flow to the brain is blocked or stopped so oxygen can't get to the brain tissue and injury or death occurs in the tissue. Strokes can be classified as ischemic, meaning a clot, or hemorrhagic, meaning bleeding out. Majority of strokes occur in people older than 65 years old and they are also the leading cause of long term disability in the United States. And even though we have all this information and knowledge about strokes, strokes will always be different for everyone and they refuse to discriminate. I watched a video titled
Having a Stroke as a New Mom Changed Everything, But I am Treating it Like a Gift, that interviewed a woman named Katherine Wolf and her husband, who know first hand about how scary and unpredictable strokes really are. Katherine was only 26 years old when she experienced a stroke in her brain stem because of a rare congenital defect she didn't wasn't even aware that she had. The brain stem is responsible for breathing, heart rate, and motor functions and damage to it can impair any or all of these functions. Katherine was a new mom and woke up one morning feeling a little out of it, but nothing out of the ordinary when she collapsed and became unconscious. She was rushed to the hospital and underwent a 16 hour surgery and survived, but is now a little different than before. Katherine does not have use of one of her hands, she cannot walk without a walker or wheelchair, half of her face is paralyzed, her eyes have difficulty tracking which causes double vision and she is deaf in one ear. However, she did not let this define her. She has learned to love her new life and does everything she did before but just a little differently. Her and her husband had another child and started a faith based non profit camp to help connect and support families with disabilities!
This video interested me because of our recent focus on strokes and how they can affect each individual so differently. Strokes will cause different symptoms and disabilities based on type, location and duration. I really was interested in Katherine's story because of how young she was and the type of stroke being in the brain stem was one that I was not familiar with and both of these factors were unique and interesting to me! Katherine's perspective and attitude is something we all can learn something from, especially as OT's. At one point she mentioned that she is finding joy in the life she has and not the life she wishes she has and the really spoke to me! As OT's we are not just there to improve occupational performance, we are there to help our patients mentally and emotionally with a new normal they may be faced with and I think this story is an awesome reminder of that! I would definitely recommend this video to anyone because it is so uplifting and inspiring and really puts life as we know it into perspective!
Kelly Bryant July 25, & Bryant, K. (2019, July 25). 'Having a Stroke as a New Mom Changed Everything, but I'm Treating It Like a Gift'. https://www.parents.com/parenting/dynamics/having-a-stroke-as-a-new-mom-changed-everything-but-im-treating-it-like-a-gift/?utm_source=facebook.com.
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