we're kicking things off with our story of inspiration a local nurse shares her
experience of having a stroke in hopes of educating others a few years ago
Ashley Burton started to feel off while going for a run it almost felt like this
big charley horse that ended up going like down my arm and like up into my
neck into my head briefly and then it was just this constant like aching in my
shoulder she tried medication in a hot shower but
was still dealing with symptoms by the next day the dizziness just didn't get
better and that was what actually brought me to the doctor Ashley's doctor
encouraged her to go to the emergency room when she arrived doctors determined
what was going on so I went in for my MRI and it came back and she came back
in my room and said yes you had a stroke and actually it was very large and were
shocked that you don't have more deficits than what you do stroke is is
vascular damage to the brain and either by a blood vessel blocking off or a
blood vessel rupturing they had told me that it was gonna get worse before it
got better due to brain swelling the reason why she had a stroke was because
she had what's called a dissection of her vertebral artery one of the arteries
that go to the brain and what happened there is the actual wall of the artery
ripped and a clot formed on the wall of that ripped artery and went into part of
her brain and caused her to have a stroke doctors explained to Ashley that
she experienced the dizziness because of where in her brain the stroke had
happened her cerebellum was damaged so so she was dizzy she was unsteady when
she was walking around those are the main functions of your cerebellum if it
had gone somewhere else in my brain I would have had the paralysis
face drooping maybe speech problems I would have had a lot longer lasting
deficits and what I did the cerebellum is a nice part of the brain because it
seems to heal itself really Wow other parts of your brain will actually take
over for the part of the cerebellum that's permanently damaged and other
parts of that will form new connections and you'll once again regain the
function because the blockage wasn't severe doctors monitored Ashley and
focused on managing her pain the headache was awful the dizziness was
awful constantly spinning even if I wasn't moving in nausea just constant
I was very anxious to go back to work when it happens all you want is your
life to be back to what it was Ashley's friends and family rallied around her
supporting her as she recovered they like showed up constantly they brought
food they made meals for me they sent flowers they sent gifts like people came
out of the woodwork for me the outpouring of people was overwhelming
there's no words to describe what these girls would do for me after some
follow-up with her doctors Ashley eventually got back to work as she hoped
and shortly after that she had a happier change in her life just got married in
May now we're gonna try to start having a family I'm great though I feel great I
can work out I can I have my life back which is what I want it it's just doing
great if she didn't tell you you wouldn't know that she ever had a stroke
we think she has a excellent long-term prognosis you see something on somebody
that they're acting different to get them to the hospital as quickly as you
can that is the best thing you can do for your loved one is to get them to the
hospital