World Stroke Day is observed on October 29. I didn’t really think about strokes until I had mine. My two strokes were caused by a carotid dissection because of a genetic condition called fibromuscular dysplasia. As a result I have conditions called aphasia and apraxia. I am plagued with routine throbbing headaches, mental and physical exhaustion and “brain fog” when I do too much. The bottom line is 20% of my brain is dead. I was 50 years old and in good health. This photo shows my brain scan. The white sections on my brain shows dead brain tissue. But I really want to stress one of the lucky ones. I am leading a productive and happy life despite it all. Here are some sobering strokes statistics: Stroke kills about 140,000 Americans each year—that’s 1 out of every 20 deaths. Someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds. Every 4 minutes, someone dies of stroke. Every year, more than 795,000 people in the United St...
I am a stroke survivor. My blog is about my recovery, family, and possibilities.