My Little Boy Was Just 7 Years Old When He Had a Catastrophic Stroke
"I remember feeling eerily calm in the helicopter on the way to the hospital, like God was guiding us to safety."
By Kerry Cromwell, As Told To Leslie Goldman
Jul 26, 2018
If you could meet our 12-year-old son Hudson today, you'd probably never guess that he had a stroke six years ago. On the outside, he looks like any other kid his age: He swims, plays soccer, and zips around the block on his scooter. But after a few minutes of interacting, you might notice that his right shoulder sags; that when he smiles, his face droops just a bit on that same side. Whereas his peers are tackling Lord of the Rings, he’s reading Encyclopedia Brown. He might be the only child you’ve ever met who plays Minecraft with just one hand.
But even with these minor handicaps, you still wouldn't look at him and think stroke. I didn't even know pediatric strokes were a thing until six years ago, and I'm a nurse. But because of what happened to Hudson on October 7, 2012, I now know that pediatric strokes are, in fact, a very real thing. They’re why, after 18 years of nursing, I took my first medical helicopter ride just after midnight on an otherwise calm autumn evening. Our mission: Transporting a 7-year-old boy — my boy — to a children’s hospital that was equipped to handle rare pediatric emergencies.
https://www.prevention.com/health/a22565969/pediatric-stroke-kerry-cromwell/
