Millennial Woman Has Stroke While Driving, Then Gets Shocking News in ER
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A woman initially thought her car brakes had failed, but soon realized the problem was that her right foot and the entire right side of her body was paralyzed.
"I knew what was happening straight away," Kirsty Woodhouse told Newsweek. "I was terrified."
After stopping the vehicle with her left foot and looking in the mirror, the 35-year-old's fears came true. The right side of her face had dropped, and she was having a stroke. She rang an ambulance and managed to tell them where she was, despite her speech being slurred.
Typically, strokes affect people over the age of 65. However, the number of younger people experiencing strokes has increased, with the CDC reporting a 15 percent rise in stroke risk among Americans under 65 over the past decade. Prevalence has grown by 14.6 percent in those aged 18 to 44 and 15.7 percent in those aged 45 to 64.
From left: Kirsty Woodhouse sits in the car; and takes a selfie while on holiday.
From left: Kirsty Woodhouse sits in the car; and takes a selfie while on holiday.
Kirsty Woodhouse
Stroke Symptoms Return Multiple Times
Around five minutes later, Woodhouse, from Warrington, England, was able to move her body again. But stroke symptoms reoccurred and resolved themselves six more times on April 17 last year.
Before a CT scan, medics asked Woodhouse if she was pregnant, but she couldn't confirm as she had spent a few years trying to conceive and hadn't yet had her period that month.
The scan revealed there was a blood clot in an artery in her brain. She was diagnosed with a transient ischemic attack (TIA), which happens when blood flow to the brain is temporarily blocked. The blockage often clears on its own, and symptoms typically last less than five minutes. Although a TIA doesn't leave permanent damage, it is a warning sign that a more-serious stroke could happen soon.
"It was like reliving it all over again and again," Woodhouse told Newsweek.
Expert Weighs In on Stroke Risks in Younger People
Newsweek spoke to brain-injury expert Natalie Mackenzie, the founder of BIS Services, the U.K.'s leading provider of cognitive rehabilitation services for individuals with brain injury such as strokes.
Mackenzie said: "A range of lifestyle factors may be driving this rise, including smoking, alcohol consumption, poor diet, lack of physical activity, and increased stress levels.
"Among these factors, high blood pressure stands out as one of the most-significant risk factors. Although weight isn't the sole contributor, it can influence stroke risk."
Lifesaving Procedure and Pregnancy Concerns
Woodhouse underwent a thrombolysis procedure, which is done to break down and disperse a clot that is preventing blood from reaching the brain.
"I was told if I am pregnant, then it's likely the baby won't survive as it's a blood-thinning procedure," Woodhouse said. "It seemed to have worked as I felt fine.
"Twelve hours later, I remember feeling clammy, and I had a full stroke in hospital and, this time, the symptoms didn't resolve themselves," she added.
For 48 hours, Woodhouse couldn't even wiggle a toe and was completely paralyzed on the right side.
"It was scary," she said. "I had an MRI, which confirmed clot was gone but left a small amount of brain damage."
With no family history of strokes and many tests, medics were unable to find out what caused it. Meanwhile, blood tests continued to show high hormone levels indicating a pregnancy.
On her ninth day in hospital, she had a scan—and there was a baby. However, medics advised a termination as they believed the baby wouldn't survive or might be severely disabled.
From left: Woodhouse poses while pregnant; and cuddles her healthy baby.
From left: Woodhouse poses while pregnant; and cuddles her healthy baby.
Kirsty Woodhouse
"It was good news but at the wrong time. I thought, 'Am I even going to live past today?' I was so scared in case I wasn't going to make it," Woodhouse said.
Medics expressed their concern about the baby and suggested a termination.
"The stroke consultant said the pregnancy might not progress anyway or the baby might have disabilities," said Woodhouse. "They also didn't know how my body would cope with the physical demands of pregnancy and labor.
"It was scary, but we were 100 percent certain we would not have a termination," she added.
But finding out that she was going to be a mom for the third time spurred Woodhouse on during rehabilitation as she relearned how to walk and use her right arm again.
In December, she gave birth to Grace. She said: "It's like she has always been here; she is healthy and a perfect baby."
Today, she shares her story on TikTok and Instagram to raise awareness of strokes in young people, using the handle @strokesurvivor_babyandme.
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