Member-only story
I Had A Stroke On Valentine’s Day
And It Forever Changed My Experience of the Day
My pupils were fixed and dilated when I got to the ER. This meant my brain stem functions such as respiration and circulation were shutting down. An emergency craniotomy saved my life. It also saved the baby I was expecting, although he was not born for another two months.
This stroke of luck changed the way I look at what heretofore had been thought of as a silly holiday, and I think my new perspective could be useful to many who struggle to feel good at this time of year whether they are looking for love or hoping their existing love will live up to their expectations of expressing it.
My husband woke up that day in 1999 thinking his biggest problem was figuring out where to get me flowers. Instead, he found me in the guest room where I went to escape his snoring as I was 6 months pregnant and needed my sleep. I was complaining of a severe headache and couldn’t move my left side. I peed the bed.
“Orange juice,” I cried, as if a glass of juice would fix everything. It didn’t. This was the first day our 2 year old son climbed out of his crib as if he knew it was an important day to get up and out.
My husband quickly realized something was seriously wrong and called 911. He then called a neighbor to come get…
