It was the longest three hours of our lives

Little Elena Lu was at childcare with her twin sister Annabelle in June 2021 when she had a seizure. She was kept in hospital overnight for observation and was about to be discharged when she experienced a stroke.

Her father Mark Mingjie Lu said Elena, who was two and a half at the time, was rushed to Sydney Children’s Hospital where doctors performed lifesaving surgery to remove part of her skull and a blood clot that was pushing on her brain.

“It was the longest three hours of our lives. The doctor said that he was able to remove the clots but too much damage had been done, and she was unlikely to survive,” Mark said.

“A social worker told us to enjoy every moment and live by the minute, so every minute that went by was a win to us because she was surviving. She made it through the night and then continued to defy the odds.”

“It was such a challenging time. My wife was juggling our two other children while I worked as a dentist six days a week. We had no family nearby and were isolated because of COVID.”

After eight weeks in the ICU, Elena was transferred to a rehab ward where she spent the next four months recovering. She was finally discharged just three days before Christmas.

“We went on holiday the very next day. The whole experience made us realise life is short and you need to make new memories,” he said.

Elena has lost full function on her righthand side, more than half of her brain function and is unable to eat and swallow properly.

“Elena is stubborn and determined, she’s a fighter who embraces life and every opportunity. Although she can’t physically interact with us, she has developed emotionally, she smiles more and even throws tantrums like any other child,” Mark said.

“She goes to dancing once a week with her sister, to the local swimming pool, and she recently went on a plane for the first time. We want her to have a normal childhood full of happy memories.

“Elena is my greatest inspiration and motivates me to get up each day.”

This is why the family chose to share their experience of stroke for our Christmas donor appeal.

Their hope is that more families will benefit from Stroke Foundation’s Our Family’s Stroke Journey, StrokeLine (1800 787 653) and Little Stroke Warriors Australia community.

Mark says, “Providing accessible and age-appropriate resources for children can help them understand and cope with the challenges they may encounter.”