Pediatric stroke awareness: A 14-year-old shares her experience

In January, Zosia Wasylewski, 14, experienced a stroke in school. She and her family want to inform people of the warning signs of a stroke, no matter what age. The teen's mom, Anna Wasylewski, told TODAY about the "FAST acronym" that the surgeon told them about. She said that if you see someone with the symptoms, call 911 immediately because you could save someone's life.

FAST meaning:

Facial drooping

Arm weakness

Slurred speech

Time - fast action leads to better results

Director of vascular neurosurgery at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Dr. Justin Singer, talked about a pretty interesting case. He said that Zosia thought she was having a stroke at that time, but something funny raised suspicions. He said that people's quick action to call 911 and bring the teen to the hospital made the difference.

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Felt like having a stroke

The 14-year-old girl was playing on the floor with her friends during math class when she suddenly slumped over to her friend. They laughed it off at first, but her left arm and leg would not move when they had to go back to their seats. Zosia's classmates helped her get back to her seat. As everyone looked at her, she felt as though she was having a stroke.

The teacher asked her if she wanted to call the office, and she agreed. Her classmates picked up her chair and carried her down until an ambulance brought her to the hospital. Dad Frank Wasylewski said that his daughter is scared and crying because she could not move anything.

Pediatric stroke is rare

Singer noted that pediatric stroke is rare. According to the CDC, about 25 out of 100,000 kids below 18 experience stroke yearly. Singer said that it only becomes a missed opportunity when the children come in too late for treatment.

   

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Caused by a blocked artery

A CT scan revealed that Zosia did have a stroke that was caused by a blocked artery. The local hospital brought her to Helen DeVos Children's Hospital. During the 180-mile transfer, she was able to move her arms and legs. Zosia's mom said that her daughter started walking, talking, and moving two hours after the incident.

Singer knew he had to remove the blood clot in Zosia's cerebral artery using mechanical thrombectomy, a minimally invasive procedure. It could let the teen return to her normal active life. He also said that the sooner people sought medical attention, the sooner doctors could offer the procedure, and the better outcome it could have.

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Although Singer had done it many times, it was his first time to do it to a teen. Zosia fared well, although she was overwhelmed. She said she felt numb but knew she was alive. She stayed in the hospital for four days, but she felt better every day.

A hole in her heart

Doctors found out the teen had a hole in her heart that her parents did not know. In February, the doctors repaired the hole to prevent another stroke. After that, Zosia was allowed to go back to her active life. She only has to take blood thinners and baby aspirins all her life.

She said that no one could predict what happens in the future, but you can recover from it. Her dad stressed the importance of quick action because it changes a scary situation into a manageable one.