News anchor and young stroke survivor shares her journey for World Stroke Day / First Aid classes

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News anchor and young stroke survivor shares
her journey for World Stroke Day / First Aid
classes
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For Kristen Aguirre, the morning of April 13,
2019, was typical She worked out in her spin
class and volunteered with a local charity. But
as she prepared for her shift as a local news
anchor, she felt what seemed like a migraine. The
pain was so bad that she considered calling in
sick. Instead she decided to take a short, early
afternoon nap. The next thing she knew, her
boyfriend was pounding on her door, shouting her
name. Aguirre had slept through her 5 p.m.
newscast. Disoriented, she stood to answer the
door but immediately collapsed, hitting her head
on the dresser as she fell. She tried again to
get up but couldn't move her left side.
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She didn't know what was happening. "I knew
something was wrong, but no one who is 31 thinks,
'I'm having a stroke,'" said Aguirre, who on
World Stroke Day on Oct. 29 will emcee the
American Heart Association/American Stroke
Association One CycleNation national fundraising
event. The digital One CycleNation, which raises
awareness about heart and brain health, will take
place in various cities with the goal to ride 1
million miles and raise funds for stroke
education and research. Aguirre is thankful to
participate in the event after her stroke. She
had an ischemic stroke, which occurs when blood
flow is blocked to the brain. Doctors aren't sure
what caused her stroke so it's labeled
"cryptogenic."
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About 80 of strokes can be prevented by
controlling risk factors. That means controlling
blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar
maintaining a healthy weight and diet not
smoking and getting plenty of exercise. Stroke
can strike anyone at any age, any time
affecting 1 in 4 people. "I hope younger adults
realize they're at risk, too," Aguirre said. "The
more they know about symptoms and risk factors,
the better they can do." She stressed the
importance of knowing stroke warning signs and
getting help immediately by remembering the
acronym F.A.S.T. Face drooping. Arm weakness.
Speech difficulty. Time to call 911. A quick
response may improve chances of survival and
recovery.
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After her stroke, Aguirre spent three months at a
rehab center re-learning how to walk and use her
left arm and hand. Initially, "I couldn't even
wiggle a toe or a finger," she said. "I worked in
TV and was always decked out and then woke up and
couldn't even put my hair in a ponytail. I had
like zero confidence because I couldn't even
recognize myself." Through social media
platforms, she found community and inspiration
from other young stroke survivors, especially
after doctors told her she may leave rehab in a
wheelchair. "I would see young stroke survivors
who were back to dancing, and that really gave me
hope," she said, adding that support from friends
and family and trust in her medical team were
also key.
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Aguirre spent her days in occupation and physical
therapy and spent her evenings trying to work her
muscles independently. She gets emotional
recalling the day when she was finally able to
wiggle a toe on her left foot. "Everyone cheered
and my physical therapist said, 'This is how it
starts. You just need a little spark and that
pathway is there,'" Aguirre said. "A month later,
I was walking around." Now living in Chicago,
Aguirre has almost completely recovered her fine
motor skills and embraces who she is today. "I'm
never going to be that Kristen from April 12,
2019, because so much has changed, physically,
emotionally and mentally," she said.
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Aguirre is sharing her story to inspire other
stroke survivors to keep working toward
recovery. "I want them to know they're not
alone, there is hope, and keep pushing," she
said. Learn more about First Aid classes.
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Long Island, NY Source https//www.heart.org