Don't expect this to normally occur. This is one of the outliers, there is only a 10% chance getting fully recovered by rehab.
The latest here:
3 years after stroke, this survivor is back to running ultramarathons
James Finch had a stroke at age 39. He's sharing his story during National Stroke Awareness Month.
In the U.S. every year, more than 800,000 people will suffer a stroke. About 25 percent of those strokes will happen to someone who is less than 65 years old.
Finch is one of those patients. Three years ago, while driving to work he began feeling dizzy. He made it to his office a few miles away but then began vomiting and collapsed. His co-workers called 911.
Paramedics recognized the symptoms of a stroke and got Finch to UCHealth quickly. Prior to his stroke, Finch had no health issues. He was fit, ate right, didn't smoke and competed in ultramarathons.
In the emergency room, Finch had a hard time speaking, and could not move his left arm or leg. He went to the CT scanner right away, where he was diagnosed with an ischemic stroke from a tear in his vertebral artery.
A stroke is when a blood vessel which carries oxygen and other important nutrients to the brain becomes blocked (ischemic stroke) or tears (hemorrhagic stroke). The doctors gave him a clot-busting drug to break up the clot which had lodged in his blood vessel on the left side of his brain stem.
Within hours of receiving the drug, he started to move the left side of his body again. Within 10 days, he was transferred to stroke rehab where he worked on regaining his strength. Within three months, he was back to shuffling, using his trekking poles because his balance was still very off.
Now, three years later, he continues to get back to his “new version of him,” and is an inspiration to so many other stroke survivors and their families.
Learn more about the signs and symptoms of a stroke at the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Remember F.A.S.T. If your face is drooping, arm is weak, speech problems, it’s time call 9-1-1. Don’t delay. Your life can depend on it.
Follow 9NEWS Medical Expert Dr. Comilla Sasson on Facebook and Twitter. Have a medical question or health topic idea? Email Dr. Comilla at comilla.sasson@9news.com
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