It's five years after her stroke, and Alanna is still waiting for answers
It's five years after her stroke, and Alanna is still waiting for answers.
As a young mum with two children, she has a whole life ahead of her. But Alanna has a fear of what her future holds.
I’m sure you can understand Alanna’s fear, especially when the cause of her stroke remains unknown. She’s worried about having another one and wants to do everything she can to stop it.
“It’s frustrating not knowing why I had a stroke,” she says. “You just worry. You constantly worry.”
And as you may know, not all strokes have warning signs.
“It happened just like that. No warning. Nothing,” Alanna remembers. “I just felt something go in my head and then I couldn’t talk.”
Her husband, Andrew, quickly rang 000, and the ambulance arrived. The paramedics suspected she was having a migraine due to her age.
CT scans and other tests followed. Doctors began treating her for a migraine. It was another three days before doctors ordered the MRI that confirmed her stroke.
But she was so young! Alanna had just given birth and was only 32!
“More research could help give more awareness to doctors and professionals. So, if someone presents with a stroke, you treat them for it. You don’t wait.”
[We're raising funds for better diagnosis and treatment of stroke]
After her stroke, Alanna couldn’t write or speak properly, and her face drooped on one side. But Alanna had also been impacted by other stroke effects – the unseen side of stroke.
“I had a three-month-old and a toddler at the time and I couldn’t wait to get home… but I was very, very anxious. I just kept having panic attacks because I thought it was happening again... And I get very fatigued and dizzy easily.”
Now Alanna is scared.
She’s scared another stroke will strike and what it could mean for her husband and two young kids. She’s scared because no-one – not even specialists she saw after her stroke – could uncover why it happened. That’s why she’s asking for more research to be urgently funded.
“Oh, it would be a relief if I found out why it happened!” says Alanna. “I don’t want any other young mum to go through what I went through.”
That’s why Alanna and her family are sharing their story to raise money for more research into stroke – they want answers, we all do!
Please support our efforts into improving treatment of stroke.