HALIFAX -- Sarah Blanchard was fit and active when she suffered a stroke at the age of 29. Now, she is passionate about helping other young survivors.
“I was on a business trip in Italy and had felt fine all day, started to have nausea, vomiting, as if I had just lost complete control of my arms and legs. My colleague and my boss at the time carried me to the car and took me to the hospital in Italy where I stayed for 12 hours,” recalls Blanchard.
“I was undiagnosed until six days later when I came to the QEII. Through the emergency room that night, it was diagnosed that I had had a stroke.”
Blanchard was surprised to learn that someone her age could suffer a stroke.
“I mean, at 29 you really feel invincible. You don’t think about your own death,” she says.
According to Blanchard, much of the information around stroke aftercare is targeted towards elderly people. As a young stroke survivor, she wanted to connect with others who understood what she went through.
“I created a stroke group for survivors under the age of 60. It really has helped just connect with other people who have a shared experience. It bonds us,” says Blanchard.
“Really creating a community is important, rather than, we want to sometimes shelter ourselves and sort of hide ourselves from the world.”
June is Stroke Awareness Month and Blanchard says it is important to discuss strokes, especially when it comes to younger people.
“I think it is about redefining what stroke can look like,” says Blanchard.
“I think since I’ve had a stroke I’ve definitely felt more meaning in my life. You realize that life is very sensitive and very short and you learn to redefine who you thought you were when some things are taken away from you.”
