GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Mary O'Connor Shaw, a 57-year-old Muskegon-area woman, recently survived a stroke and made a remarkable recovery in just one month.
In August, Shaw went on a 100-mile bike trip through the Grand River Valley. Two days after her trip ended, she woke up with cramping in her legs.
“I couldn't find my arm in the bed. And I just thought it was asleep. But when I got up, it was swinging like a pendulum.”
Her husband Sidney noticed she was slurring her words and seemed disoriented, which are symptoms of a stroke.
Paramedics took her to the hospital, where doctors confirmed she had indeed suffered a stroke.
“It was cerebral, what they call a spontaneous cerebral hemorrhage. So, not a typical stroke, which is often a blood clot, an aneurysm, or something like that. They're not exactly sure what caused it," Shaw said.
Shaw had surgery, then after spending some time in the ICU, she was taken to Mary Free Bed to begin rehab.
“Timing is very important with a stroke in terms of recovery. The longer that you might languish in a hospital bed, the more difficult the recovery process becomes. So, getting right into Mary Free Bed was very important," Shaw said.
Shaw spent 10 days in isolation with COVID-19 doing exercises on her own.
“She's the type of person that you tell her to do, you know, XY and Z and she wants to know what she can do after that," Dr. Megan Smith, a Physician at Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Center, said.
After she was cleared, Shaw was strapped to a harness and with the help of her rehab team, she learned how to sit up, stand and move her arms and legs again in just 30 days.
“Her recovery was so quick, and it was honestly very surprising. But then once I got to know Mary, I realized that maybe it wasn't so surprising, I just didn't know who she was as a person. She is very dedicated and motivated," Dr. Smith said.
Shaw still has about 10 more weeks of rehab left the focus is now on regaining movement in her left arm.
“I had come to the Disneyland of rehab, it was just the colors, the artwork, the staff, everybody was so aligned on getting you to be as independent as you can be as quickly as possible," Shaw said.
Shaw, who is a retired business consultant and book author, has her positive attitude to thank for seeing the recovery process through so quickly.
“If I see a mountain and I can't get around it, I'll just try to figure a way to get up. And so I never really felt that self-pity or, or sadness, or despair, I really just felt such euphoria, and a joy and a thankfulness to be alive," she said.
Shaw’s hope is that she’ll be able to get back to the things she loves the most like working on her farm, cooking and of course, riding her bike.
“One thing I can say about the stroke that has really been a gift, and that is the ability to really live in the moment. I don't think too far into the future anymore. I'm here now and really glad to be here," Shaw said.
Thanks to a dynamic team of specialists at Mary Free Bed and her supportive husband by her side, Shaw is well on her way to accomplishing all her goals.
Shaw says she wanted to share her story to remind people that during a stroke timing is everything. Symptoms of a stroke include numbness, weakness in the face, arms, or legs, difficulty speaking, trouble seeing, or walking and a sudden severe headache.
Doctors say if you notice any of these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately.
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