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Pedro's Story, Part 1
April 4, 2009 |
“I woke up the next day. It was a stroke.” It’s a day 45 year old Pedro Millan will
never forget. Last October 2nd, he woke up to find that something wasn’t quite right.
“I woke up in my bed. I got up and fell down on the floor. I got up, took
a shower, got dressed, called my brother, and he took me to the hospital,” says
Millan.
Turns out, Pedro had a stroke.
Doctors say it was
high blood pressure combined with
stress that triggered the attack. His physical therapist says his story is unusual.
“He’s lucky to be as young as he is and he was lucky the stroke didn’t extend at
the point where he decided to take a shower and get dressed,”
explains Abe Abarbanel.
“The doctors don’t believe it,” adds Millan.
Thousands of Americans will suffer a stroke this year. That’s when blood clots or
the body’s blood supply fails to get to the brain, as a result, the brain becomes
damaged and that causes the body to not properly function.
Headaches can be the first sign. “Massive headaches. Doesn’t go away. Why? Don’t
know. Disorientation is a symptom, but by the time you have that you are already
in the process,” says Abarbanel. Warning signs also include numbness, especially on one side of the body, dizziness, failure to speak or understand when being spoken
to.
Pedro, a former truck driver, is now on the road to recovery. After undergoing some
therapy at Lee Memorial Hospital, he’s making progress at the Lee Center for Rehabilitation
and Wellness. Just a few months after suffering a stroke, he’s gaining mobility
in his right hand. “When I first started coming here, I couldn’t do this (hand gesture)
now I am doing it. I use more of my right arm. When I had my stroke, my hand was
all crumbled up like this,” says Millan.
Next Saturday on Health Matters, we take a closer look at Pedro’s extensive recovery
process, plus his special message to all viewers, both young and old.
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