Hi I’m Wendy, on February 22,2020, I set out for a day of prom dress shopping with my daughter, my mom and my niece. We had a great day. Picked the perfect dress, went to the mall had some lunch etc…laughing and joking. I drove and my first stop was dropping my niece off at cheer practice. I then headed to drop my mom off at home. On that ride I suddenly felt weird, foggy it’s hard describe, in my head I said oh God mom you have going to have to take the wheel in that instance, everything went black, I could hear everything around me, I heard my mom yell my name, I heard my daughter say mom you are scaring me I heard tires screeching, when I opened my eyes we were dangling on and embankment. My mother and daughter screaming. My mom, a nurse, knew I had had a stroke, she called 911, she then called my dad knowing he would hear it over the police scanner. I remember every single second. When I arrived at the hospital they took me straight into CSCAN. I was the perfect candidate for TPA because my mom could tell them exactly when it happened. My entire right side gone, speak gone. Within thirty minute of the TPA I could move my leg. The next days were spent in ICU then to rehab to figure out why this happened. I had no warning signs at all. After every test you can this of they did a simple bubble test. They saw something, I had a PFO. I had absolutely no idea about this. Fast forward months of more tests, over a year of speech and OT therapy and surgery to close the PFO in my heart my Chases of having another stroke when from 80% to 2%. Thanking God every single day that my Mom was with me. I still can not manipulate anything with my right hand. Of course I am a righty. So every single day is a challenge and an adjustment, my speech all though so much better is not perfect, with aphasia and Apraxia and dysarthria and unable to ever return to work . I now live everyday to the fullest and enjoy my family all I can. I never thought at age 45 this would have ever happen to me. I am living proof that your life can change in literally the blink of an eye.
@Wlw7774 Hi Wendy & welcome to the forum. I imagine that must have been very scary for you & your mum & daughter. Life certainly can change in an instant as I think all stroke survivors found out.
Its good to hear they found a cause, that it has been treated & your risk of another stroke has dropped significantly.
Hope you find this forum a good place to be.
Best wishes
Ann x
Hi @Wlw7774 welcome to the forum and thank you for sharing your story with us. Though it may be a long road, there is still room for further recovery so don’t ever give up 
You were so blessed to have mom along! So glad no one else was injured by that happening while driving. The stroke was not a blessing, but having mom, and getting the car stopped, and TPA were certainly. And your attitude toward life are. I still idiotically believe I will return to work. Not that I want to, just need to for enough income. It isn’t very likely. I wonder what you are doing to live life to the fullest? For me, it is the family and pets, and being here. Hopefully spending more time with friends, but that doesn’t happen much. I love your attitude. Mine waxes and wanes but I hope yours will rub off on me more often! Best wishes. I hope you will stick around. I find the people here very helpful and encouraging, even when we talk about issues that aren’t so positive.
@Wlw7774 hi Wendy, welcome to the group, wow that must have been a scary situation for everyone.
Pleased to hear you’re making progress and living life to the fullest each day.
Best wishes
@Wlw7774 Wow, what a story Wendy. You’ve come to a good place to share. Prayers of comfort and best wishes to you.
Hi, to answer your question by spending any moment I can with my family and taking it all in. Vacation with my family and fully attentive. Enjoying spending time with my kids and enjoying special moments with them even it is them talking about their day.
Hi Wendy, just like to say a big welcome to this forum. That’s some story, can’t begin to imagine how scary that must have been for all of you. Glad to hear they have fiund the cause and it has been treated.
Sounds like you are making a good recovery, keep up the good work. Hopefully you will find this forum useful. Looking forward to hearing from you.
Regards Sue