MY STROKE STORY
By Avashna Moodley

I awoke on the morning of Christmas Eve (2011) then quickly realized that I could not move. I tried to get off the bed to walk to the bathroom, to tell my husband that something was wrong – my body was frozen in time. I was so confused. What was happening to me?
I’ve just had a stroke at 41 years old. There were no warning signs, I had no time to get my affairs in order, to prepare my husband and children for a person who could no longer walk, talk, read, write or recall my life.
For the next 19 days that I spent in ICU, I would beg the nurse on duty to call my husband so he can bring my clothes and take me home. I would pull out all the drips in preparation to go home ………..to my safe place.
The doctors discharged me very reluctantly so that I could see my eldest child
off to his first day oh High school. Reality hit me the first night at home and over the next few days , I wanted to go to my new safe place ……the hospital!
I needed people to treat me as though I would recover completely.
I needed people to love me – not for the person I once was but for ME, now.
I needed to still have value and feel valued.
I needed visitors to believe in me and bring their positive energy with them.
I needed my family and caregivers to allow me to grow and learn at my own pace .
I needed patience.
I needed to own my own power.
During my recovery, I could hear myself speaking clearly to family and friends but the sound coming from my mouth did not match those formed in my mind.
My family could only visit me in ICU during set periods of time. They were totally unprepared and unable to read my desperate attempts at communicating through body language and other non-verbal cues. The frustration went both ways and we all soon realized how ill-prepared we were to tackle the after effects of a stroke.
According to my physician, I had the worst stroke on the scale – a 3 in 1 and today I am pleased to say that I have recovered 99.5% of my physical and mental abilities. Through my experience I’ve realized that recovery from any life threatening condition is not something you can do on your own, because when you are ill you become physically, emotionally and mentally deprived of the fuel you need to recover fully. My message to people in a similar situation is that you’re not alone in your pain. DON’T LOSE YOUR MIRACLE IN PAIN
My personal recovery was made possible by a strong support system I had constantly around me.
Thank you to MY Creator, MY determination, MY perseverance, MY home based carers.