Georganna D.
Monday, April 30, 2012
By: Georganna Davenport

Survivor

Didn't know what hit me

October is my favorite time of the year. I help with a haunted theme park in my home town and we were getting ready for opening night and 9/30 changed my life.
We were driving to the park (thankfully I was a passenger) and something set me back in the seat and I couldn't move. The left side of my face felt like it was pulling back and I couldn't move my body at all. I felt like I was trapped! When we arrived at the park, I slowly exited the vehicle and I could walk, talk and was able to move but had a HORRIBLE headache and was extremely tired. I went on with my night, plugging and pushing away until 2 am. The entire weekend, I had a horrible headache, exhausted and felt like I could pass out. My left arm, face and leg started tingling but I kept telling myself it was because I was tired.
Two weeks later, I was driving to the store and all of a sudden my vision was split and it felt like I had a spear run into my eye. I covered my eye and turned the car around to head home. Thankfully I wasn't very far. When I got home I was weak when I got out of my vehicle and don't remember coming into the house. My husband asked me what happened and I told him.

At that point I didn't have my insurance coverage and knew I couldn't afford to go to a doctor. I kept having headaches, tingling (like my left arm, leg and face fell asleep) and started dropping everything that I held in my left hand. All I wanted to do was sleep because my head hurt so bad.

November 1, I was able to go to the doctor and tell him what my symptoms were. The doctor thought I was experiencing MS or Fibromyalgia so he sent me for an MRI. He told me to come back to his office in an hour and he should have the results.

I went back into the office and I sat there waiting. The doctor came in and was crying. That's when I found out that I had a stroke. He was very upset and couldn't believe that I was mobile because of the gray matter damage that was done. He got me an appointment with a Neurologist immediately and that's when I found out I had 2 major strokes in two weeks. By the grace of GOD I wasn't paralyzed, I have considerable weakness in my left side and Physical Therapy is helping.

I am determined not to let my condition define who I am but I will define my condition. I will continue to push forward and work hard in my recovery. Hopefully be able to inspire others that there is hope and don't ever give up or quit.