Christina Aleksanian, a Californian woman aged 36 years old, almost touched death from a dangerous stroke just some hours after giving birth to her third child. Her experience from the joy of childbirth to the edge of disaster shows how delicate life is and why doctors must act on time.
Joy turns into panic
As soon as she delivered Stephanie, her daughter, Christina, started feeling unwell, which made her become scared instead of happy. She knew she was in trouble when an instant migraine hit her, followed by tingling numbness on one side of her body.
The only thing she could recall about what happened next was that everything became foggy around her, leaving Gary Galfayan, her husband, alone with his dying wife.
A battle against the clock
Doctors responded immediately after someone yelled ‘Code blue!’ multiple times; they were running out of time. What they found out was that Christina had suffered from a stroke, which was described as a ticking bomb ready to explode at any time.
They had to do an emergency thrombectomy where they removed blood clotting in her brain, among other things, so as not to lose their patient. Another examination discovered that there had been a hole in Christina’s heart since birth.
This condition is known as Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), but nobody noticed it until now. When combined with labor pains, it causes the formation of clots, which later leads to stroke; hence, PFOs must be checked early enough. Since such complications are rare during pregnancies, people often take them lightly.
Lessons from the vicious event
Christina’s recovery defies medical science if we ignore acting fast whenever somebody gets affected by this illness. Immediate detection and treatment are key factors that determine whether a person survives or dies from a stroke.
Pregnant women, together with their healthcare providers, should be aware of risk factors associated with strokes during pregnancy plus the postpartum period.
Nevertheless, Christina did not give up hope despite experiencing another accident following a near-death incident. The strength displayed by her family while facing challenging times serves as an example for those who meet challenges unexpectedly during their lifetime.
Christina’s journey reminds us how fragile life can be, but at the same time, it shows that people have strong wills that nothing can break. This story also proves that love and support from friends or relatives never fail, even when things seem impossible to overcome.