May is National Stroke Awareness Month, and one Texas family wants to raise awareness that strokes can happen to anyone, at any age.
This is exactly what happened to Noah on April 2nd, 2016. While eating dinner one night, their then 8-year-old son complained that his right arm was going numb. Shortly after, one side of his face started to droop and he began having speech problems. Noah’s parents recognized this as signs of a stroke, but they were hesitant to believe that was the case given his age.
Pediatric stroke is one of the top 10 causes of death in children. Noah himself spent more than 2 weeks in the ICU, ultimately needing brain surgery. He has some residual effects, but is recovering as well as can be expected.
According to the International Alliance for Pediatric Stroke, the following are some of the signs to look for:
Newborns and Infants
- seizures
- extreme sleepiness
- the tendency to use only one side of the body or favoring one hand — you may notice your baby doesn’t bring both hands together during play.
Children and Teens
- a severe sudden headache that your child might call the “worst headache of my life,” especially when accompanied by vomiting and sleepiness
- weakness or numbness on one side of the body
- problems speaking or understanding others
- vision loss or double vision
- severe dizziness
sources: Today