At 51, I Had a Stroke

Yep, I’ve always told myself, “It will never happen to me!” I’m healthy, exercise regularly, eat well, practice stress relief, manage my time well. “That only happens to unhealthy people.” Well, what a wake-up call, friends! It did happen to me! At 51, I had a stroke which caused a brain bleed. Wow! What a wake-up call to slow down and re-evaluate what’s important in my life. I guess I thought it was me and my family and close circle of friends, but I guess it turned out to be I was on a path to self-destruction.

I mean, I could have died, and I guess at first, they weren’t sure I was going to make it. Scary. So what led up to my stroke. Well, probably too much work and work stress. My work is demanding. But, if you know me, that’s what I love about my job. It’s highly dynamic and fast-paced. It keeps me on my toes! Variety is the spice of life, eh?

Secondly, I have some pesonal stress going on in my life that probably contributed to my stroke, as well. What I didn’t know is that I have high blood pressure, which I was totally clueless about. It’s always fine when I go into the doctor, so I wasn’t aware. But, the stroke I had is only caused by high blood pressure, so I guess I do. Again, since I eat well and exercise, I never thought it was a problem or would be… the silent killer, I guess.

So how do I move forward with all of this information. First, I need to take a serious look at my work demands and create a plan to keep my work stress under control. That looks like reduced hours and maybe some meditation, which isn’t easy for me since I prefer going 110 miles an hour!

Also, a little more yoga and some intentionally practice meditation. My sister practices meditation daily, so I’m sure I can get some good tips and insight from her. I will continue to practice gratitude which I love doing and try to integrate into my life daily. I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to share this blog with my community and hope it hits a chord for others. My passion in life is helping and serving others, so I hope this opens someone else’s eyes.

My gratitude also extends to my sisters who have been instrumental in my recovery and continued healing and health. My sister, Kristina, continues to stay on top of my medical care and look out for any signs of a relapse. My other sister, Kelly, has guided and managed my business in my absence and is helping me transition back to my job, with the goal of reduce hours, stress and modification in mind!

I share all of this because I’m grateful I’m able to and say to you all to listen to your body. I didn’t know I wasn’t listening to mine, but I guess I wasn’t. Life is too short and precious not to gently nourish ourselves physically and spiritually. With gratitude, I extend much love to you all.