Last Updated on November 6, 2023 by The Smetz Files
Today we celebrate the anniversary of Jay’s strokes. Eight years ago our lives shifted permanently in completely unexpected ways. While Jay has no noticeable lingering symptoms, he still has limited sensation on the right side of his body, especially when he’s overtired, stressed, or not feeling well.
We are blessed with Jay’s overall outcome, but it is still shocking that an otherwise healthy 30-something former athlete suffered a stroke. As he recovered in the days following in the neuro-ICU, he was the youngest patient there by several decades. And with no known family history or genetic predisposition we were especially frightened.
According to the Center for Disease Control, these are key signs of stroke:
- Sudden numbness in the face or weakness, predominantly on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion or difficulty speaking
- Sudden trouble seeing out of one eye
- Sudden trouble walking
The CDC encourages you to act quickly and call 911 if you or someone you know is experiencing these symptoms. Time is of the essence, so please don’t hesitate.
Jay mainly had numbness in the face and on the right side of his body, which still persists today in some capacity.
As the father of two children under three years old at the time, we are endlessly grateful for his recovery and that he can maintain an active life with them years later.
Our advice: when in doubt, check it out!
6 responses to “Signs of Stroke: Act Quickly”
[…] October 16th is a prominent day on the calendar for our family. On this day in 2015 we got the punch to the gut that Jay, an otherwise healthy 30 year old and former athlete, had suffered a series of strokes. […]
Strokes can be pretty scary, Thank God Jay is doing better now. Thanks for these 4 key signs.
Thanks, would love to prevent others from experiencing that fear.
Wow, that’s so scary! I’m so glad Jay is doing better! Thank you for sharing this really important information. It’s also so important to know that even young, healthy people can have strokes!
Yes, so true; good health shouldn’t be taken for granted. Thanks for reading!
[…] Jay’s stroke in 2015, we downsized and purchased a fixer upper, truly a house that was close to condemnable. […]