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Hi, I'm Tania.
With my daughter's help we created this site as a way to heal by sharing the thoughts, laughs, and tears along recovery journey. Get ready for a mix of moments that will hopefully make you laugh, cry, and everything in between along with me. These photos were taken 3 years apart, capturing where I started and how far I've come.
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September 2020
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September 2023
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I am an ischemic stroke survivor who experienced a hemorrhagic conversion (brain bleed) less than a week later. Despite my stroke being misdiagnosed and not receiving medical intervention in time, I’ve experienced miraculous outcomes.
Through my blog, I share my journey—both the highs and the lows—to shed light on the lesser-known stroke symptoms, the importance of self-advocacy, the patience needed to support someone with a brain injury, and what life after a stroke can really look like. My goal is to inform, inspire, and, most importantly, spark curiosity.
My story in 2 minutes!!!In June 2023, I created this video as part of my application for the American Heart Association's GO RED Class of Survivors. It shares my story in a way that feels both personal and impactful.
On August 8, 2020, my life changed forever. I woke up feeling fine, and after about 15 minutes awake, I saw a blinding light in my right eye - like a crack of lightning. I immediately felt unsteady and thought I might be having a migraine. Not soon after, I couldn't locate my left arm, and shortly afterward, I collapsed onto the floor while standing. I did not know I was having a stroke. In the ER, doctors favored a complex migraine. Processing the chain of events from that morning is ongoing. After spending a week in the ICU to raise and regulate my blood pressure, I spent another week in the hospital and then experienced new symptoms. They found bleeding. After a quick encore in the ICU and a confirmed hemorrhagic conversion, I spent the rest of the month in hospital, followed by a short stay at an acute in-patient rehabilitation hospital. As I'm typing this, I wonder if that means I had two strokes.
An echocardiogram in the ICU showed I had a PFO (patent foramen ovale) - a hole in my heart that didn't close the way it should have after I was born. In November 2020, I had surgery to repair the hole, which dramatically reduced my risk of another stroke. Do you know what's cool about that? I watched the entire surgery. The bloodwork for surgery revealed a clotting disorder - Antiphospholipid (AN-te-fos-fo-LIP-id) syndrome, which is a condition that can cause blood clots to form in arteries and veins #bloodthinnersforlife. |
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I've been told 20% of people have PFOs, and less than 2% of those people have strokes. I don't see myself as unlucky for being in that slim margin. I'm still here for a reason - to live a more balanced life and to help others through my experience.
Many people comment that I look great - that they'd never guess I had a stroke and I am sure it's a compliment in their minds. I struggle daily and live with non-visible disabilities that impact my ability to think, feel, and understand what I hear and see. I have left-side neglect/extinction with a lack of sensation that runs head to toe along the entirety of my left side - this poses many complex issues and safety concerns - the current count of times my hand has gotten caught in a door is 3 with a broken/fractured finger twice. I also have cognitive issues with attention, working memory, and executive function – all fancy words for I forget, thinking hurts, and words are hard. I'm not a fan of focusing on my deficits - I'll explore that in a future blog post. I'm often asked to reflect on how much I've recovered on a 0 to 100% scale. I'll never be the exact person I was before the stroke – that's okay. I accept this because I've seen the images that show the damage to my brain. I've been working hard to get to 100% of my new self. I intend to be the best version of myself possible, and I know Tania 2.0 will do great things. |