I chose to review a video/article about a lady named Katherine Wolf. It was called "Having a Stroke as a New Mom Changed Everything, but I'm Treating it like a Gift". There was a video interview done of Katherine's life now and how she goes about being a mom after her stroke. She was 26 years old when she had a stroke. The type of stroke she had was a massive brainstem stroke. It was caused by the rupturing of a brain arteriovenous malformation (AVM). She had a 16 hour surgery where more than half her cerebellum and many inter-cranial nerves were removed. The doctors had told her husband that the odds of her surviving the stroke were not good. She was in a coma for two months. Six months prior to her having the stroke she had a baby boy. When she finally woke up from the coma, she had to relearn how to do everything over again. She stated that she was learning all the developmental milestones as her child was at about the same time. She was paralyzed on the left side of her face. She could not walk at all, but now she uses a wheelchair at times and a cane. About 7 years after her stroke she got pregnant with another baby boy. She talked about how hard it was at the beginning to come with terms that she was no longer able to take care of her baby and that she needed to be taken care of herself. Her whole life changed at the age of 26, but now she has come such a long way. Katherine and her husband decided to start a non-profit organization to help families like theirs to come to terms with being a family with disabilities. I decided to do this topic because I have a story similar to Katherine's story. My uncle had a stroke in his mid 40s. The doctors even told our family that he had a 3% chance of surviving. He was also in a coma for a month. Thankfully he survived and is still with us today. Unlike Katherine, he didn't have such good luck with his recovery process. He is in a wheelchair, has no control of the lower extremities, cannot feed or bathe or change himself, he has double vision now, and has slurred speech. The thing that impacted his recovery process was that he started to develop tremors about a month after he woke up from the coma. He still has them but not as bad as when they first developed. It changed his and our families lives. He was the mechanic of the family and it kills him not to be able to do the things he loves anymore. But just like Katherine, my uncle has found a stronger root in his faith. He believes that everything happens for a reason and he is so thankful to still be here today. I really enjoyed listening and reading about Katherine Wolf. It is inspiring to know that she didn't let the stroke define her. It is also encouraging as a future occupational therapist to see success stories of how important therapy is for stroke patients. I can see how similar her story and my uncles story was. It is so important to know the types of CVAs to know how bad effects can be on a person. I would recommend people to watch the video and read the article because it shows how someone can adjust their life and overcome a big obstacle. The brain is so complex and has so much control over all of the body. We need to appreciate it and be thankful that we are able to be independent in our daily life.
Video & article source:
Bryant, K. (2019, July 25). Having a stroke as a new mom changed everything, but i'm treating it like a gift. Retrieved from https://www.parents.com/parenting/dynamics/having-a-stroke-as-a-new-mom-changed-everything-but-im-treating-it-like-a-gift/?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=health_health&utm_content=video_internalcrosspromotion9
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