Mother of three didn't know what a stroke was -- until she had one on Christmas Eve

By ľ¹ÏÖ±²¥ News

Maria Juarez today

Maria Juarez felt dizzy when she tried lifting her 1-year old daughter. "Everything started moving. My body felt like an earthquake, a small one." (Photo courtesy of Maria Juarez)

On the morning of Dec. 24, 2016, Maria Juarez awoke in her San Antonio home with a bad headache. She also noticed something wrong with her hearing – she thought water from the previous night’s shower had lodged in her ear.

She proceeded to make breakfast for her three young children, but she got dizzy as she tried to lift her 1-year-old daughter out of the highchair.

“Everything started moving. My body felt like an earthquake, a small one,” she said.

She made it to the couch just before the entire right side of her body collapsed. She couldn’t move her arm or leg. Her vision started to blur and she couldn’t speak without slurring her words.

With her husband at work, Juarez called 911, but the operator couldn’t understand what she was saying.

“I kept telling them my address, but they [didn’t] understand. They transferred me from one person to another,” she said. “I got so frustrated I hung up.”

She then called her mother, who immediately dialed 911 after listening to her daughter try to talk.

“I said, ‘You guys need to go to my daughter. I don’t know what happened, but she’s bad,’” Maria Puente recalled. “I said, ‘She’s crying. And her speech – it’s very bad.’”

Maria Juarez (right) with her mother Maria Puente (left)

Juarez (right) called her mother, Maria Puente (left), after 911 operators couldn't understand her. "I said 'You guys need to go to my daughter. I don't know what happened but she's bad.'" (Photo courtesy of Maria Juarez)

 

After doctors at a nearby hospital recognized the severity of her stroke, Juarez was then rushed to another hospital with a comprehensive stroke center. There, a scan showed a clot blocking blood flow to a major artery in the back of her brain. The clot was removed through a procedure in which a surgeon snaked a stent and catheter through an artery in Juarez’s groin and up to her brain. The clot was then trapped inside the stent and pulled out.

An MRI showed little to no brain damage. Juarez walked out of the hospital five days later.

Dr. Ramesh Grandhi, the Texas neurosurgeon who removed Juarez’s clot, said he has little doubt that timing was critical in her extraordinary recovery. Without the quick recognition of paramedics and initial emergency room doctors, “there is no question she would have suffered a life-ending or a profoundly life-changing stroke because of where the clot had lodged,” he said.

Grandhi, now an assistant professor at the University of Utah’s department of neurosurgery, said seeking medical help immediately upon the first signs of stroke is crucial.

According to guidelines, the clot-snaring procedure – known as mechanical thrombectomy – can be used in some patients within six to 24 hours after symptoms start. The time window for a clot-busting drug called alteplase is even narrower – three to 4 ½ hours.

Juarez didn’t know what a stroke was until the morning it nearly cost the 35-year-old her life.

“The guys from the ambulance, they told me, ‘You're having a stroke.’ But I did not know what a stroke was,” she recalled. “I figured, ‘OK. Well, give me a pill and it’ll go away.’ I never knew it was a life-or-death situation.”

Juarez tries whenever possible to help raise awareness for others who, like herself two Christmas Eve mornings ago, have no idea what a stroke is.

“Everyone needs to be aware of the signs because once they happen, time is ticking,” she said. “You can't wait it out.”

Juarez awoke from her stroke without any cognitive impairment, although her double vision continued for several months before disappearing one morning. While she can walk, she still has problems with her balance and has since moved her family in with her parents so they can help with her three children, now 6, 4 and 2.

Stroke survivor Maria Juarez with husband and three children

Post-stroke, Juarez has lingering balance problems, and her family now lives with her parents, who help with childcare. Shown with husband, Juan (right), and children (in order from top left) Sofia, Angel and Christian. (Photo courtesy of Maria Juarez)

“The stroke changed my life forever. It's a very emotional thing for me and I still haven’t overcome everything, but I'm very grateful to doctors and to God,” said Juarez, who is now taking a blood thinner.

“I'm a stroke survivor and very proud of it. A stroke doesn't define who you are. It defines what you've overcome.”

If you have questions or comments about this story, please email [email protected].


ľ¹ÏÖ±²¥ News Stories

ľ¹ÏÖ±²¥ News covers heart disease, stroke and related health issues. Not all views expressed in ľ¹ÏÖ±²¥ News stories reflect the official position of the ľ¹ÏÖ±²¥. Statements, conclusions, accuracy and reliability of studies published in ľ¹ÏÖ±²¥ scientific journals or presented at ľ¹ÏÖ±²¥ scientific meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the ľ¹ÏÖ±²¥â€™s official guidance, policies or positions.

Copyright is owned or held by the ľ¹ÏÖ±²¥., and all rights are reserved. Permission is granted, at no cost and without need for further request, for individuals, media outlets, and non-commercial education and awareness efforts to link to, quote, excerpt from or reprint these stories in any medium as long as no text is altered and proper attribution is made to ľ¹ÏÖ±²¥ News.

Other uses, including educational products or services sold for profit, must comply with the ľ¹ÏÖ±²¥â€™s Copyright Permission Guidelines. See full terms of use. These stories may not be used to promote or endorse a commercial product or service.

HEALTH CARE DISCLAIMER: This site and its services do not constitute the practice of medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always talk to your health care provider for diagnosis and treatment, including your specific medical needs. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem or condition, please contact a qualified health care professional immediately. If you are in the United States and experiencing a medical emergency, call 911 or call for emergency medical help immediately.