Mary Napier

I had a Brain Aneurysm when I was 8 years old, Jan. 3rd 1963. When I was born in 1956 the doctor told my mom, "It can happen now or when she's 16." He say if it happened when I was an infant it would probably be fatal. It happened when I was 8, and affected my whole right side. I remember a lot. My brother and sister were getting ready for school, and I wouldn't get up. So they called my mom into the bedroom. She looked at me and shook me. I rolled on the floor and my mom thought that I might be dead.

Even though I couldn't speak I thought "Mom don't bury me alive!" My eyes were open but I couldn't move at all. My Dad put his fingers under my nose and listened to my heart and found I wasn't dead. He scooped me up in my comforter and put me in the back seat of the car. I could feel the cold as my parents went outside. I could hear my mom crying her eyes out and then I kept on falling in and out of conscience. We arrived at Memorial Hospital. At first no one knew what was wrong. Finally one young doctor looked at me, didn't touched me and said that I had a stroke, a brain aneurysm!

I had to learn everything all over again, my 1,2,3, my ABC's, but it didn't take me long to recuperate. I was in the hospital for 6 weeks. I thought it was 6 months! I walk with a limp now. I have been to see so many doctors its just plain silly, physical therapists, neurologists, etc. It's gotten to the point where I have scoliosis and I was once just diagnosed with a touch of osteoporosis. I just stand straight as much as I can and walk tall, exercise, take pills, and keep active.

I never had a an operation on my brain, which seemed weird to me. Because I had my stroke so young, it's been this way most of my life. I'm doing the best I can. I'm happy. I get along fine. I want to move to Florida where its nice and warm instead of snowy in the winter! I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy! I adjusted when I was small so really doesn't seem like I'm paralyzed. Driving scares so much though, I make Tom drive me everywhere, I'm very happy with my life!