She had a stroke during a video call with her congressional representative

Getting ready for her annual meeting with members of Congress to seek more funding for Alzheimer's disease research, 安·沃尔特斯·蒂勒里需要强大的Wi-Fi来进行视频会议.

She had been working from home earlier that day but decided to go into the office at the University of 内布拉斯加州 Foundation. In a quiet conference room, 沃尔特斯Tillery set up her laptop and started to speak.

自2014年母亲因阿尔茨海默病去世以来, 她是阿尔茨海默病影响运动的志愿者. 她对公众演讲很在行. Yet during her third meeting, and her final pitch, she noticed something was wrong.

突然，她的话开始含糊起来. In her on-screen picture, she noticed the left side of her face was drooping.

“然后，就像那样，我的左臂变得沉重起来，”她说.

沃尔特斯Tillery, 61, 你熟悉FAST这个缩写吗, 这告诉我们，如果你看到一个面部下垂的人, 手臂无力或说话困难, 是时候打911了. She was now witnessing her own stroke and knew that time equals brain tissue.

The video call ended and 沃尔特斯Tillery grabbed her cellphone and s太d up, 但她倒在了地板上，因为她的整个左侧已经瘫痪了. Only five minutes had passed since recognizing the first signs of stroke. 幸运的是，她手里拿着手机，拨打了911. 意识到她的心跳加速, 她利用自己12年的瑜伽练习，开始深入练习, 瑜伽式呼吸让她的身体平静下来.

Paramedics arrived and got 沃尔特斯Tillery to the hospital within 25 minutes of the onset of symptoms. A CT scan showed she'd had a hemorrhagic stroke – a brain bleed – in her basal ganglia, 大脑中控制运动的部分, 程序学习和执行功能. 这种中风可由不受控制的高血压引起, 她的读数非常高.

医生给她开了降血压的药, 然后沃尔特斯·蒂勒里试图找出导致飙升的原因. She suspected her interrupted lifestyle during the pandemic negatively contributed.

"The quality and length of my sleep had drastically been affected,她说. "My meals included more processed foods than my typical Mediterranean-focused diet. 我的锻炼计划取消了. 而且，我从不担心我的血压，但我应该担心."

沃尔特斯Tillery's daughter Heather Wolf drove four hours from 堪萨斯 City, 堪萨斯, 在她母亲身边, 女儿克里斯汀·道森住在两小时车程外的科尔尼, 内布拉斯加州.

“当我看到她时，她醒着，很害怕, 但就她刚刚经历的事而言，她的精神还算不错,狼说.

经过两天的重症监护, 沃尔特斯·蒂勒里转为急性住院中风康复. She spent 13 days focused on regaining strength and coordination and learning how to stand, 自己洗澡穿衣. 中风10天后，她可以自己走路了. 当她足够强壮可以回家的时候, 她继续接受门诊治疗, 物理和语言治疗, 锻炼体力, 耐力, 她左手和手指的运动能力很好, 以及大脑的执行能力.

“你想工作?一位职业治疗师在她康复之初问她.

“把它扔给我，”她回答. "I want to be pushed with as many therapy sessions as it takes to get me back on my feet and to regain use of my left arm, 手和手指."

Her first goal was to attend the Cattlemen's Ball in her hometown of Columbus, 内布拉斯加州, 开始治疗两周后. 她在模仿农田的凹凸路面上练习走路.

“感谢上帝，他们带我去了舞会，”她说.

Her three-month goal was to meet her lifelong girlfriends in Estes Park, 科罗拉多州, 徒步旅行和玩桨板.

“他们把我带到了那里, 太, 我度过了一段美好的时光，笑着和朋友们重新联系,她说.

中风后四个月, she went to Disney World with daughters Wolf and Dawson and their families. 那一周她走了10万多步.

As great as the trip was, 沃尔特斯Tillery also came away with a larger lesson.

那个假期是他们谈论过的“某一天”要去做的事情,“但是在经历了中风之后, 他们做到了.

"Replace the word 'someday' from your vocabulary, because tomorrow is not promised,她说.

沃尔特斯Tillery believes her fast 911 call and active lifestyle were critical to recovery. 起初，她担心自己永远无法完全恢复左手的功能. 现在, 15个月后, she's doing yoga poses like chaturanga and side plank that require upper body strength. She also regularly monitors her blood pressure at home, in both arms as recommended.

沃尔夫说，她妈妈的态度至关重要. “她把一切都变成了挑战，”她说. 当一位治疗师在晚上给她布置可选的“家庭作业”时，她做了.

沃尔特斯Tillery urges everyone to learn how to spot a stroke through the acronym FAST, especially since it's hard to tell if someone is in distress during a virtual meeting. 如果你独自一人, 她说, always have your phone on you so you can call 911 if you're in trouble.

“在我们虚拟环境的新规范中, 你需要为医疗紧急情况做好准备,她说. “学习如何识别中风. 你救的也许就是你自己的生命."

发自内心的故事 chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates.

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