The last 15 years have seen a rise within the variety of strokes in young people, with 11% more young people now at higher risk of stroke than before. The chance aspects for stroke in young individuals are similar to in adults, but young people are likely to pay less attention to their health and well-being in the identical way as adults.
For Nitai, the stroke got here as a whole surprise. He was a healthy and energetic young man, entering college and having fun with his recent life outside his hometown. The day began normally, a typical Thursday morning in his dorm room. When he woke up, he noticed that his arm and face seemed strange. Numb and tingling, as if his arm had fallen asleep. He thought it could pass quickly and continued together with his day.
Because the hours passed, the strange feeling in his arms and face endured, and he even had difficulty holding the pen. When he went to get the tray from the cafeteria, he couldn’t lift it. Shortly thereafter, his balance began to deteriorate and he had trouble walking. He called his dad, but he didn’t pick up, so Nitai asked his friends in the event that they thought he seemed strange and explained what symptoms he was experiencing.
A number of hours later, Dad called back – when Nitai explained his symptoms, Dad (the doctor) instructed him to call 911 and call an ambulance to the hospital. He knew his son had had a stroke. On the age of 18, Nitai suffered a hemorrhage within the left thalamus (brain hemorrhage within the thalamus). After this diagnosis, Nitai spent a big period of time within the intensive care unit, where doctors monitored him closely, after which went to an inpatient rehabilitation center, where he worked on speech, mobility, brain function, and lots of other issues. Although Nitai was young and in fairly good health, rehabilitation after the stroke proved very demanding. It took him weeks to regain his strength, and through that point he gained a recent perspective on life.
“I went through rehabilitation with amputees, with individuals who were partially paralyzed, some in wheelchairs, some who couldn’t speak, and a few who were connected to respiratory tubes. I sympathized with their journeys. I saw the pain on their faces. I saw the burden of latest diagnoses weighing heavily on their shoulders. Anyone who goes through something difficult can understand it. We do not just follow a distinct path, wherever we go, we forge our own path. It jogged my memory that our circumstances don’t define us… it’s how we take care of our circumstances that defines us.”
Today, Nitai has grow to be an advocate for raising awareness amongst young people about stroke, spreading kindness and love wherever he goes, and writing a book about his experiences. This 12 months Nitai spent a while in Australia (surfers’ paradise) where he designed and delivered a surfboard to the Billabong headquarters, in addition to undertaking a 7-day challenge where he raised funds for other stroke survivors.
You may take a look at Nitai’s project Here — remember to follow, like and share!
After we overcome discomfort and do the hard things, we will go much further than we predict.
Nitai Weinberg
The Stroke Foundation would love to thank Nitai for sharing his story, starting this project and raising funds that may impact the lives of stroke survivors recovering from stroke. We hope to boost awareness of stroke amongst young people so everyone can recognize the symptoms and act FAST!