At 53 years old, Jill was the picture of good health. She ran marathons, followed a healthy diet and didn’t have any risk factors or family history of major health problems. So, when she had a stroke, she didn’t recognize it for what it was.
“It was so completely unexpected. Even though I was having the classic symptoms – face drooping, weakness on one side of my body and slurred speech – I didn’t realize what it was because I never imagined a stroke would be a possibility for me,” she explained. “That’s a big part of why I want to tell my story – to raise awareness because it can affect anyone.”
Jill lives with her husband and two children in a three-story townhouse in Chicago. She was on the third floor when she began having symptoms; he was working on the first floor.
“I was exercising between work calls and 10 minutes in, I felt so fatigued that I had to sit down. I was kind of laughing at myself for how tired I felt after a simple workout. My right arm felt like it had fallen asleep, and I couldn’t lift it.
Somehow, I managed to stand up and open the window, thinking I needed fresh air. Then I thought maybe I was just thirsty, so I headed down to the kitchen to get a glass of water.”
She doesn’t know how she made it downstairs, but once on the second floor, she collapsed onto the back side of a dining chair, knocking it over and leaving an incredible bruise on her arm. Her husband heard the crash and rushed up to see what had happened.
“When I think back on that experience, several things really scared me. How did I not fall down the stairs? What if my husband hadn’t been home? What if I had collapsed on the third floor and not the second one, and he didn’t hear me?” she asked. “He saved my life.”
Jill’s husband helped her to the leather couch, but she immediately slid down. In response to his questions, only gibberish came out.
“I’ll never forget the look on his face; he was just astonished. He didn’t realize I was having a stroke either, but it was clear something was very wrong, so he called 9-1-1.”
Paramedics began treatment in the ambulance, then rushed Jill to Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, where she underwent testing and a CAT scan.
“I felt scared and vulnerable because they secured my arms to keep me still for the CAT scan. It felt like I was in a straitjacket, and I couldn’t advocate for myself,” she recalled. “But there was an extremely kind nurse who somehow understood my sounds and the imploring look in my eyes. She was very reassuring and explained the need for me to keep still.”
Jill needed emergency surgery to remove the blood clot that had caused her stroke.
“Gratefully, I was able to rebound quickly afterward. I started speaking coherently again, and by the end of the day, I was having conversations.”
She had arrived at the hospital on a Wednesday. By Friday, she was able to go home.
“It was all so amazing – from the lifesaving care to the little things that made me feel human during my time in the hospital,” she shared. “One nurse put my hair up without me having to ask so I could be more comfortable. I called another nurse in the middle of the night because I couldn’t reach to adjust my gown. She was so kind; she put lotion on my back and rubbed it in. It was so comforting.”
Saying thanks and giving back
Jill was inspired to write a letter of gratitude on the one-year anniversary of her stroke.
“I think it took me that long to come to terms with what had happened. There were so many times when I wanted to reach out to the hospital, but I didn’t know how or what to say. ‘Thank you’ doesn’t seem like enough. Of course, I thanked everyone I could when I was there, but how do you show your gratitude to people for something that monumental – for saving your life?”
Jill also donated to Advocate Charitable Foundation and reached out to others in her community to ask them to do the same. And although there are too many people to thank, that isn’t stopping Jill from trying.
“My neurologist, Dr. Jeffrey Yu, nurse practitioner Kiffon Keigher, Dr. Thomas Grobelny, who performed the thrombectomy ... I wish I could remember all the names of the extended team, but it was challenging to retain such mental notes. Shannon K. in speech pathology who helped me understand and work through my aphasia and Dr. Mona Chandra Soni and team, who performed my follow-up cardiac procedure,” Jill said. “All these people and more contributed to the incredible care that let me resume my life and flourish with the knowledge that I was given a second chance. All of you. Thank you.”
Advocate Illinois Masonic is part of Advocate Health, a not-for-profit organization that relies on the generosity of donors to provide the most advanced treatments and comprehensive programs, including stroke education and prevention. Please make a gift today.