These were the words of the neurologist, soon after I was diagnosed with a stroke in the cerebellum. That was hope and it proved to be true, as the brain re-learns new ways... if you teach it (for example, specific repetitive exercises).
The neurologist said I was lucky, because if the nerves to the heart or lungs were affected, I would have died immediately.
The immediate after-effect is the my right side was affected and I stumbled when I walked in hospital (I couldn't walk 3 metres to the bathroom), I struggled to swallow food and my left hand couldn't differentiate between hot or cold.
I'm 67 and live in South Africa, drank rarely, never smoked, ate healthly, played golf regularly and worked hard. Also,I was in the middle of a university short course which, by the grace of God, I managed to complete successfully. But now I have to take a whole bunch of pills daily... and I never liked medicine!
Today, four months later, I'm working hard again, I'm playing golf again (even though my swing was affected slightly) and my walking is almost normal... but I can't figure out properly, with my left hand, if a beer is warm or cold (only kidding about the beer, as I don't drink).
The moral of the story is hope: suffering a stroke is bad, but it is mostly recoverable with help, patience and determination. All the best, everyone!