Nathalie Perez
After suffering a stroke last February, new mother Nathalie Perez is grateful for the care she received at Osceola Hospital so she can continue to be an active and positive mom to her two kids.
Suffering a stroke at 22 years of age is not as uncommon as you may think. At a young age, Nathalie Perez learned she was prone to blood clots from a condition called Antiphospholipid Syndrome. Last February, the condition caused her to suffer a massive stroke — a blood clot in one of the large brain vessels, blocking oxygen flow to her brain — a couple of weeks after the birth of her second child, Luna.
Nathalie, a Kissimmee resident, experienced dizziness, eyesight impairment of her left eye and was unable to speak or move. When she collapsed at home, her mom called 9-1-1. Fortunately for Nathalie, the lifesaving resources of Osceola County’s only Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center were close by.
Nathalie was transported by ambulance to HCA Florida Osceola Hospital’s Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center, where she was quickly assessed and treated with a clot-busting drug, tPA, and a thrombectomy (a clot-removing procedure) performed at the center’s Neuro-Vascular Interventional Lab.
“I was so scared; all I was thinking of was my babies,” Nathalie said. “I couldn’t speak before the procedure, but I remember a nurse telling me not to be afraid. She was letting me know I was not alone.”
Thanks to the expert care of a multidisciplinary team, Nathalie was able to be discharged after four days. Today, she is an active and very busy working mother.
“I’m 95% back to normal! I exercise and remain positive,” Nathalie said. “I am so grateful for my mom who recognized the signs of a stroke and called 9-1-1 immediately, and the hospital’s doctors and nurses who provided me with the treatment needed to get back to my babies.”
Visit the Osceola Hospital Neurological Care page to learn more about the warning signs of a stroke.