Chris' Story: Young stroke recovery

https://www.gaylord.org https://www.gaylord.org/Our-Programs/... Chris Cartland, age 34, was at home with his family on the evening of June 11, 2015, when he began having a headache and felt dizzy and uncoordinated. A type 1 diabetic since the age of 5, Chris knew these were common symptoms of low blood sugar so he did a blood test. But his blood sugar was fine. Just a few weeks earlier, his doctors had said he was in good health, so he wasn’t worried. “But over the next half hour, I lost my ability to speak,” Chris said. “My wife, Jennifer, thought we should go to the ER but I vigorously waved her off and pulled the stubborn husband card. The possibility of a stroke never crossed my mind.” Testing at a local hospital revealed that Chris had suffered a stroke in the left pontine portion (the pons) of his brain, impairing function on his right side. The pons is the lowest part of the brain stem that connects to the top of the spinal cord. Just four days after the stroke, Chris was transferred to Gaylord for rehab in the Young Stroke Program. The Young Stroke Program is part of Gaylord’s CARF accredited Stroke Specialty Program and is based on the patient’s level of function at the time of the stroke, rather than age. The program is fast-paced and gears therapy toward activities to help patients return to their pre-stroke role as a primary caregiver, student, or employee. Thus, a 70-year-old man who is working at the time of his stroke can participate in Gaylord's Young Stroke Program.