>>>
>>> WE
>>> WE ARE IN MAY WHICH IS STROKE AWARENESS MONTH.
THAT IS TYPICALLY SOMETHING TO
WORRY ABOUT LATER IN LIFE BUT
THEY CAN STRIKE AT ANY TIME TO
ANYONE OF ANY AGE.
DR. KAMAL ASSASSIN RECENTLY SAT
DOWN WITH MEGAN AND HER SON,
FINN, WHO HAD A STROKE WHILE HE
WAS STILL IN HIS MOTHER'S WOMB.
>> SHE WAS OVER 40 WEEKS
PREGNANT WHEN SHE START TO FEEL
HER BABY NOT MOVE AS MUCH AS HE
NORMALLY WAS.
NORMALLY WAS. SHE WENT TO SEE THE DOCTOR AND
EVERYTHING WAS FINE.
NOW, THE NEXT DAY SHE WENT INTO
LABOR AND HAD A VERY LONG
LABOR.
LABOR.
LABOR. BUT, ULTIMATELY FINN WAS BORN
AND EVERYTHING CHANGED ON THAT
DAY WHEN FINN WAS DIAGNOSED
WITH A STROKE.
JOINING ME TODAY IS MEGAN, AND
HER SON, FINN, WHO IS GOING TO
TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT
HAPPENED THAT DAY AND HOW THE
RECOVERY HAS BEEN AFTER HAVING
A STROKE IN UTERO.
SO, WHAT WAS THE DAY LIKE WHEN
FINN WAS FIRST BORN?
>> THE DAY STARTED OUT
COMPLETELY LIKE A TYPICAL DAY
AND WE WERE REALLY EXCITED
BECAUSE WE WERE GOING TO THE
HOSPITAL TO HAVE OUR BABY AND
WE HAVE NO IDEA THAT ANYTHING
COULD BE WRONG AND IT WAS NOT
UNTIL GOING THROUGH A VERY LONG
DRAWN OUT LABOR THAT OUR DOCTOR
RECOMMENDED THAT I HAVE A C-
SECTION JUST BECAUSE IT HAD
BEEN GOING ON FOR SO LONG AND
THEN WHEN HE WAS BORN AND CAME
OUT NOT BREATHING WE KNEW THAT
SOMETHING WAS TERRIBLY WRONG
AND IT WAS A BIG SHIFT AT THAT
MOMENT FROM TERRIFYING AND
CONFUSING.
CONFUSING. AND WHEN HE WAS DIAGNOSED WITH
A STROKE, HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?
IT WAS A NURSE YOU HAD SAID
THAT SAW THE SIGNS OF IT?
>> THE TEAM AT SAINT JOE'S
ASSEMBLED RIGHT AFTER HE CAME
OUT AND SWEPT HIM OFF TO THE
NICU AND IT WAS ACTUALLY A
NURSE THAT NOTICED THAT WHEN
HIS BREATHING RATES WOULD DROP
HIS HAND WOULD TWITCH AND SHE
THOUGHT THAT MIGHT BE A SIGN
THAT HE WAS HAVING A SEIZURE.
SO, SHE LET THE NEONATOLOGIST
KNOW THAT SHE THOUGHT THE BABY
WAS HAVING SEIZURES AND AT THAT
POINT THEY ORDERED AN MRI WHICH
THEN GAVE THE DIAGNOSIS THAT HE
HAD HAD A STROKE AT SOME POINT
BEFORE DELIVERY.
BEFORE DELIVERY. >> WHAT HAS THAT STROKE WE HAVE
BEEN LIKE?
BEEN LIKE? WE TALK ABOUT IT OFTEN IN THE
CONTEXT OF ADULTS, BUT HOW DOES
THAT HAPPEN WITH KIDS?
>> MY HUSBAND AND I, OUR
FAMILIES, NOBODY KNEW THAT THIS
HAPPEN TO KIDS OR TWO BABIES
AND NOBODY KNEW THAT HAD
HAPPENED IN UTERO, SO WE
IMMEDIATELY HOPPED ON ALL
INTERVENTIONS AND SO HE STARTED
THERAPIES FROM FOUR WEEKS ON
AND HE HAS BEEN DOING REHAB
THERAPIES SINCE HE WAS A TINY
INFANT.
INFANT.
INFANT. >> YOUR TRAINING HAS REALLY
PREPARED YOU A LITTLE BIT FOR
THIS, BUT HOW HAS THAT HELPED
YOU OR HIM PROGRESS EVEN MORE?
>> HAVING THE BACKGROUND IS A
SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER HAS
ALLOWED ME TO KNOW THAT THERE
IS AN IMMENSE AMOUNT OF
RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO FAMILIES
AND IT IS A MATTER OF ACCESSING
THOSE RESOURCES SO WE TOOK ALL
THE OPPORTUNITIES WE COULD GIVE
TO FINLEY AND WE DID EVERYTHING
THAT WE COULD, AND SO I JUST
KNEW THAT YOU ASKED FOR ANY
SUPPORT THAT YOU COULD UTILIZE
AND WE REALLY HAVE JUST TRIED
TO TRY EVERYTHING OUT THERE FOR
HIM.
HIM.
HIM. >>
HIM. >> I
HIM. >> I THINK ASKING FOR RESOURCES
AND BEING YOUR SON'S BIGGEST
ADVOCATE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT
THING.
THING.
THING. HOW HAS YOUR PERSPECTIVE
CHANGED AS A PARENT?
>> OUR PERSPECTIVE HAS BEEN
REALLY CHANGED SINCE HE WAS BORN
BECAUSE HE HAS DEMONSTRATED TO
US WHAT IS MOST IMPORTANT IN
LIFE.
LIFE.
LIFE. NOT
LIFE. NOT TO DWELL ON THE SMALL
THINGS, BUT TO CELEBRATE
EVERYTHING THAT BOTH FINN AND
HIS SISTER DO AND I THINK
ULTIMATELY IT SHOWS US WHAT IS
MOST IMPORTANT IN LIFE.
>> I APPRECIATE BOTH OF YOU
JOINING US HERE TODAY.
THANK YOU