Stroke of Madness

On May 8th what started out as a regular day for my mother turned into a nightmare. That's the day  she had her first stroke. As she was admitted to the hospital I got the phone call that she had been throwing up and complaining of a severe  headache for most  the morning which was unusual for her. By the time I arrived at the ER she had lost all feeling in the entire left side of her body. She didn't recognize who I was at first sight. She had slurred speech. Mom couldn't answer the basic questions being asked of her like,  what is today's date? Who is our president? What is your name? She continued to regress within the next 45 minutes or so she had lost all speech and cognitive impairment. She was unaware of what was going on around her and couldn't  move her left arm or leg on her own. She was then seen by a neurologist who needed my permission to administer a TPA ( a medication that breaks up the clots in your arteries). Because she wasn't making and positive progress the Dr was concerned that is she didn't get it soon that any damage done would be irreversible. After the TPA was in her system she was moved to the Neuro ICU. Where she could be monitored. She remained in the ICU regaining her strength, her feeling, her speech before she was moved to a rehabilitation center inside the same hospital for two weeks of rehab, where she went through physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy every day. Once out of rehab she continued her therapies. There have been a number of struggles particularly trying to regain speech. Continued weakness on the left side has made balance and walking straight difficult.  My mother's job and career requires her to be on her feet and vocal in order for her to teach, train and motivate those she serves. She has now had two strokes and because of these strokes she is not able to return to work. We are asking friends and family to donate whatever they can to assist with medical bills as she continues to heal and prepares to get back to work. We thank you for your love and support. We will keep you posted.