Meredith Segal

My name is Meredith (Merry for short) Segal. I am 28 years old and my stroke was on May 19, 2006. It was a Friday morning and my parents were both at the cancer center for my dad so I was home sleeping. I woke up around 10 am and had a really bad headache, I figured I would go get some Motrin and crawl back into bed and sleep. Well, when I tried to get out of bed I couldn't move the left side of my body, and when I tried to move it was painful.

I called my parents (sleep with the phone next to me) and told mom that I couldn't move (speech was fine). As soon as they got home I called 911. The ambulance came and the guys asked me what had happened, when I told them what was going on they basically scooped me up and ran down the stairs and out the door with me.

At the ER the doctor thought I might had broken my spinal fusion (relating to my dwarfism) that I had done 5 years ago, she told me don't move anything, like I could move if I wanted to. Sent me for the first of many tests. CT and MRI scans, called in the neuro surgeon who looked at me and said I had a stroke based on just looking at me (left side of my face was droopy). I was admitted that night for more tests to be done. More Ct, MRI, MRA, Carotoid Ultrasound, swallow test, barium test, Echocardiogram..etc..I spent 5 days in the hospital before being transferred to another local hospital with a very extensive rehabilitation center.

At the rehab place I slowly regained movement in my left leg and arm. My face became less droopy and I started feeling better about myself. I had a rigorous day of OT, PT (each an hour), rest until noon lunch, more rest until 2pm where I had rec therapy followed by more PT (each was 30 minutes). I was there for about 2 1/2 weeks.

I am now home with my parents still recovering and going to PT three times a week. Once on land and two times a week in the pool. I am getting stronger although my mind is not as sharp as it use to be and it seems a bit sluggish, but I'm working on that too.

This is just another hurdle that I have to get through. I was born with a rare form of dwarfism and because of that I've spent time in and out of hospitals for PT or surgeries to correct deformities that would have either killed me or left me confined to a wheelchair the rest of my life. I don't have all the answers but I do know that there is a reason why this happened to me, although I wish it didn't happen but it happened and what comforts me is knowing that God is in control now and forever.

Merry