New Jersey Family Raises Awareness on Pediatric Stroke After Son Survives Attack at Age 7

The family of a boy from New Jersey, who experienced a pediatric stroke at seven years old, hopes to raise awareness of this unexplained medical incident. Chase Schweiger is now an active 15-year-old boy, but he almost died from the attack in 2014.

His mother, Wendi Schweiger, told People that her son was always an active child and was a "completely healthy" kid before the sudden attack. Chase experienced a pediatric stroke while on the soccer field with his friends. Before that, he came out of his karate class and was still eager to play.

Wendi found her son on the ground while his friends cajoled him into getting up. The mother was able to walk Chase with assistance and noticed that he looked quite off. She and her husband, Jordan Schweiger, noticed some signs of a stroke. They called 911, and Chase was taken to a nearby hospital.

Read Also: Tongue-Tie in Babies: An Ankyloglossia Fact Sheet and Treatment Guide for Parents

Chase's Incredible Recovery from Pediatric Stroke

At the hospital, doctors initially thought that Chase had a seizure. After doing a series of tests for six hours, the family was told that Chase should be transferred to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where there is better equipment to confirm a pediatric stroke.

Jordan recalled that his son could still communicate "somewhat" during the tests, but the doctor noticed that his condition worsened by the hour. Doctors confirmed that he had some swelling in the brain at the Philadelphia hospital and needed to be operated on as soon as possible to ease the pressure. The procedure could help Chase survive, but the family was still uncertain about his future.

Doctors prepared Wendi and Jordan for the reality that Chase might not be able to speak or walk again. However, two days after the surgery, Wendi was thrilled to hear her son utter, "Yes," according to Today. The doctors said this was unexpected based on the amount of swelling and blood in his brain before the surgery.

The boy spent 15 days at the Intensive Care Unit before he was moved to a rehabilitation facility at the hospital's neurology floor. It took him three months to learn to walk and talk like normal again. Wendi said that the medical workers at the CHOP never gave up on helping her son recover.

Today, Chase is a sophomore in high school and has plans to work at his first summer job. Though he has limited use of his right hand and has a brace on his right leg, he is generally typically growing to be a well-adjusted teenager with a disability.

Pediatric Stroke: What Parents Must Know

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, pediatric stroke affects less than 2,000 children a year, and while it is a rare occurrence in kids, it's still among the top 10 causes of death among children.

Dr. Daniel Licht, who treated Chase at CHOP, said that doctors still do not know why stroke happens in some children. There is little research about this medical event since there are not a lot of patients.

The signs of a stroke in children are the same as the stroke symptoms in adults. The patient experiences facial drooping, arm weakness, and speech problems. Some parents, however, may struggle to see the signs right away because there are children whose speech abilities have yet to develop.

Children diagnosed with pediatric stroke need to work with an interventional radiologist who can successfully remove the clot. In Chase's case, Licht and his team were able to work on him during the crucial window; thus, he was able to recover fast. However, his doctors also said that much of why Chase survived beyond expectations after a pediatric stroke was because of his determination.

Related Article: Head Trauma: Doctors Give Do's and Don'ts After a Head Injury