I am a survivor of a stroke and breast cancer. On April 20, 2018, I was diagnosed with having a stroke. I was 39 years old. At the time I received the diagnosis, I thought to myself that other people survived and I will too! Little did I know that I had undiagnosed high blood pressure, and it was going to take a while to recover. I’m still recovering.

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With the stroke, I had to learn how to walk, talk, and write all over again. One thing I was thankful for was I learned to be ambidextrous. My skin is soft like a baby, as a result, sometimes I cannot hold things because they slip out of my hands.

This health scare gave me a chance to think deeply about things that were taken advantage of my life. Also, I reflected about my career choices. I figured, this is a time to think about myself and what I really like to do. I was a regulatory analyst for a cellphone company. It was a very trying position. Before the stroke, I was looking for a job that paid the same with less stress and fewer hours.

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While recovering from the stroke in March 2020 (beginning of the pandemic), I had received the news that I had breast cancer. The exact date of that diagnosis was March 10, 2020. I was 41 years old. Here I was thinking that I have to recover from a stroke and now breast cancer. That was crazy to me. It’s still a crazy thought. It was a roller coaster ride that one day I’ll have to tell you about. All I wanted to do was to hurry up and get the treatment over with so that I could continue to focus on my stroke recovery. 

The good news is that I beat breast cancer and rang the bell on June 16, 2021!

I have learned things from self-care to holistic care that will help you through with the recovery from stroke or breast cancer.