When a Stroke Hit at 32, She Fought Back

Lashaytha remembers sitting in her friend’s truck, getting ready to head back to work after break, when everything changed in an instant.

“All of a sudden, the right side of my body went numb,” she said. “I knew something was wrong, but I couldn’t speak.”

Her friend kept asking what was happening, but she could only stare back at him. “He was like, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ and I couldn’t get a word out.” That was the moment he realized something was seriously wrong.

He rushed her back to work, but when she tried to get out of the truck, her body wouldn’t cooperate. “I couldn’t move. When I tried to stand up, I fell because my body was not working.” Her coworkers saw immediately that this was an emergency. He then drove her to her mother’s house and they called the ambulance.

Learning What Happened

By the time the ambulance arrived, the picture was becoming clearer. The EMT asked her to unlock her phone again. She could do it with her left hand, but when he told her to try with her right, nothing happened. “I couldn’t lift up my arm,” she said. “That’s when they said, ‘She had a stroke.’ My eyes got big. I was like, a stroke? I’m too young to have a stroke.”

She was 32.

Fortunately for Lashaytha, her friend acted quickly by activating 911. EMS and 911 dispatchers were able to accurately identify what was happening and activated the helicopter crew to get them on scene.

They airlifted her from Wiggins to Memorial Hospital Gulfport, where staff were waiting for her arrival. Lashaytha received Tenecteplase (TNK), a clot-busting drug, for thrombolytic therapy. She also had a large vessel occlusion, a vessel that was blocked, narrowed, or compressed, restricting blood flow. Imaging showed a larger clot in a major brain artery, so LaShaytha had to undergo a mechanical thrombectomy (clot removal). She was immediately taken to a procedure for Neurointerventional Radiology with Dr. Zachary Liner for the thrombectomy. During this procedure, a catheter is inserted through an artery (typically in the groin) and guided up to the brain. Dr. Liner then used a device to physically remove the clot, restoring circulation more directly and effectively than medication alone in certain cases.

She spent recovery time in the ICU and 5th floor ortho/neuro, where her stroke-trained care team was multidisciplinary and assisted with her recovery.

What happened next surprised everyone, including the medical team. She had a stunning recovery and was discharged from the hospital just three days later.

“It’s been almost a year and a half now,” she said. “I have full function in my body.” Doctors warned her recovery could be long and difficult. However, she surprised everyone by standing and walking with little intervention. “I just felt like I had a bad night,” Lashaytha says.

A Strong Recovery

The stroke left only two lasting effects: “Sometimes I stumble on my words when I talk fast, so I have to slow down. And when I write, my hand gets stuck sometimes, so I have to concentrate.” Otherwise, she says, “I feel fine.”

In the hospital, she learned something she never knew: “They told me I had a hole in my heart. They said I was born with it.” This could have been the cause of her stroke. “They also said stress could have caused it, but they don’t know.”

Despite a thorough evaluation, the exact cause of her stroke remains uncertain, which is sometimes referred to as a cryptogenic stroke. This can happen even after extensive testing. When no clear cause is identified, doctors focus on reducing future risk through medications, monitoring and management of any potential risk factors.

She’s grateful every day for how things turned out. “Most people end up in a wheelchair with no function. I’m fine.” Thanks to rapid recognition of symptoms and quick action by friends, emergency medical services, emergency department staff and the neurology team, treatment was delivered without delay. As a result, LaShaytha did not experience any lasting neurological deficits.

Lashaytha loves being outside, and some of her favorite things to do are fishing, going to BBQs, hanging out with her friends, and taking care of her family. She’s back at work while also enrolled in school to become a construction worker.

A Mother’s Motivation

She often thinks about how close she came to a different outcome. “Whatever they did saved me,” she said. “If I didn’t get to the hospital when I did, I probably would’ve been in much worse shape.”

But what she’s most thankful for is her ability to care for her children. “I have four kids…a 14 year old, 11 year old, 5 year old, and a two year old. I’m just happy I’m fully functioning for my kids. There’s no love better than a mama’s love.”

Fortunately, Lashaytha came to the hospital quickly, and she was a candidate for both thrombolytic therapy and thrombectomy, both time-sensitive treatment options. The quick actions of her co-workers, EMS, and the medical team gave her the best chance for recovery.

Memorial Hospital Gulfport is designated a Level I Stroke Center by the Mississippi State Department of Health, the highest tier of stroke care available in Mississippi and one of four in the state.