YOUNG FACES OF SURVIVAL BY VERNA NOEL JONES tendons, connecting bones and some long-term movement or think- S TROKES ARE A RARE disorder for children— striking just two or three kids per 100,000 annually. In fact, many people don’t think strokes occur in young people at all. Most teens with stroke have tears in the arteries of their necks, either spontaneously or through an injury, such as getting hit in the neck during sports, explains Dr. John K. Lynch, program director in the office of minority health research at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesda, Maryland. The second most common cause of teen stroke is a disorder that affects the tissues (ligaments and 20 Stroke Smar t joints) such as Marfan syndrome, often seen in very tall, thin people. Their tissues and blood vessels are often stretched and can break more easily than people of average height. “Such people are at greater risk of developing tears in their arteries,” says Lynch. A third cause is a heart disorder where clots formed in the heart travel to the brain. Blood disorders, clumps of tangled blood vessels (arterio-venous malformations or AVMs) and some infectious diseases are other causes. “In AfricanAmerican children, sickle cell disease is the most common cause of stroke,” says Lynch. Some three to 10 percent of teens with stroke will die. Among the survivors, the majority have ing problems. Nevertheless, recovery potential is much better for teens, says Lynch, because of the flexibility in their still-developing brains. The following teens shared their stories with Stroke Smart to help us all realize that strokes occur at all ages and from many different causes. RIGHT: Amy (center) with sisters, Brittany & Caitlin PATRICK CAMPBELL Two days after his 14th birthday last October, Patrick Campbell was at school when his speech and writing suddenly worsened. Then, he passed out. He was rushed to the hospital where he was found to have had a bleeding stroke caused by an AVM (arterio-venous malformation). This tangle of thin-walled blood vessels can break easily, causing a hemorrhagic stroke that poured blood into his brain. After surgery to repair his AVM, Patrick was left with a facial droop, a paralyzed right side, and Broca’s aphasia, affecting his speech. Before that fateful day, Patrick, who lives with his family in Washington, D.C., was active in jazz, hip-hop, and break dancing and was a talented artist at the Duke Ellington School of Arts. Once confined to his bed, he’s now walking with help, but cannot use his right hand. So, he’s found a way to draw with his left hand. His focus was to get back to school as soon as possible, and he returned to the ninth grade last fall. He continues to go to therapy three times a week to improve his speech, and is driven to regain some use of his right hand. “To have Patrick recover to the extent he has is promising,” says his father, Francis, who is working to establish a support group for people with AVMs. AMY GROENE Amy Groene, a triplet, loved playing soccer, baseball and swimming. The honor student was heading out for a football game on September 3, 2004, when she felt an excruciating pain in her head and numbness in her right leg. At Cincinnati’s Children’s Hospital, it was determined that the 14 year old had an AVM rupture, filling her brain with blood and causing numerous mini-strokes. The doctors didn’t expect her to survive. She did, but it wasn’t an easy road. Amy was in the hospital for four months, barely able to do more than blink her eyes and a give Once confined to his bed, Patrick’s now walking with help, but cannot use his right hand. So, he’s found a way to draw with his left hand. LEFT: Patrick Campbell, a student at the Duke Ellington School of Arts. w w w. s t r o k e . o rg 21 The Daily News Journal, Murphreesboro, TN ABOVE: Neal Carroll with his mother, Marcia. a “thumbs up.” By November, she started coming around and now has only right leg weakness and some difficulty speaking. She’s back in the pool, swimming the breaststroke and is a freshman in high school. On May 26, Amy was thrilled to throw the first pitch at a Cincinnati Reds baseball game. she’s had a personality change and being in the crowd didn’t bother her at all. Now we talk about how she’s come so far and she’s very positive, even talking about going to college.” NEAL CARROLL Neal Carroll, 14, wanted desperately to play basketball for his Central Though Neal can’t return to contact sports until he gets a new heart, physicians say they expect him to return to normal once that happens. “She was so excited,” says her mother, Susan. “We were concerned that she might not do it because she was kind of shy. But 22 Stroke Smar t Middle School basketball team. And the Murfreesboro, Tennessee, team no doubt wanted Carroll, too, who already stood six-feet, five-inches tall. Most of these teens had family members who recognized they were having strokes and responded quickly. Regardless of age, anyone with sudden numbness on one side of the body, sudden problems seeing, standing/walking, or speaking, or anyone complaining of a severe and sudden headache should get medical attention immediately. To learn more about stroke symptoms, contact the National Stroke Association at 1-800-STROKES (1-800-787-5637) or www.stroke.org. But Neal never played the 2004 season because of a stroke on December 26, 2004. Neal’s mother Marcia, was in another room when Neal called out for her from the den in a slurred voice. She rushed in and immediately recognized that he was having a stroke. Neal was able to walk initially, but by the time he got to the ER, he had become paralyzed on his left side. With quick treatment, he was stabilized and soon made “a remarkable recovery” from his stroke symptoms—no paralysis, no speech problems. Unfortunately, the doctors determined the stroke was caused by a blood clot released from his damaged heart. Now, Neal is second on the waiting list for a heart transplant. Though he can’t return to contact sports until he gets a new heart, physicians say they expect him to return to normal once that happens. Meanwhile, Neal says he’s “being patient and learning to hang in there. My advice to others is don’t rush anything. Be happy.” JOE KAY In an odd twist of fate, just hours before turning 18, Joe Kay was trampled by a crowd of joyful students rushing the basketball court at Tucson High School to celebrate a team victory after his winning dunk. In the crush, a major artery in Joe’s neck was torn, leading to a massive stroke and partial paralysis to his right side on February 6, 2004. The horrific incident dashed the six-foot, six-inch Arizona athlete’s plans to play varsity volleyball for Stanford University. But Joe, a math whiz and National Merit Scholar, is still going to Stanford this fall where he’s looking at a possible major in political science, neurobiology, or biology. He made it happen through sheer grit, a fighting character, and dogged determination to regain his ability to walk with barely a limp, ride a recumbent bicycle, speak more clearly, and get some work out of his right hand. “I’ve recovered pretty well,” says Joe, “though my hand is not at the speed of a normal right hand.” Before the accident, Joe says he didn’t really think about the future. The stroke redirected his thinking, though. “Now I know I’m not invincible and I live every moment and second as if it’s my last.” y and his mother. ABOVE: Joe Ka w w w. s t r o k e . o rg 23