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On June 15th, 2005 I was home from college and living my life like an average 18-year-old student, when out of nowhere I suffered a massive brain stem stroke. Like many younger people, I had no idea what stroke or heart disease was, but I was in fact walking around with an undetected birth defect called PFO, or patent foramen ovale.  

I never knew about the hole in my heart until I was in the emergency room fighting for my life, and I spent the next month and a half relearning how to walk, talk, dress myself and other simple daily tasks that we all take for granted. I never realized how valuable something like walking was until I lost it. Not only did I have to relearn how to do things like talk, walk, tie my shoe and drive, but I also had to relearn how to do things like tell a joke, make friends, learn when it's appropriate to laugh, and how to start a conversation.

A stroke is a lifetime journey. I've been continuously improving but I now understand why I need to take care of my body. I am now a first time mom, working a full time job, and returning to college. I still deal with the aftermath of my stroke everyday but I finally feel like a "normal" young adult. I enjoy sharing my story with other young people to inform them of things they have probably never thought about.

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