中风给她留下了一些“时髦的颈部珠宝”

西比尔·琼斯知道说再见很难. 作为美国补给部队军官的妻子.S. Navy, Jones has packed up and moved to several cities and countries over the last 20 years.

在她丈夫面前, 马库斯•琼斯, 调到新的工作地点, 这对夫妇和朋友们在阿灵顿的一家啤酒厂聚会, 维吉尼亚州, 说再见. 在告别晚会上, 西比尔啜饮着酒, 和朋友聊天，摆姿势拍照, 场面开始发生变化.

寻欢作乐的声音渐渐消失，面孔也变得模糊起来. 西比尔觉得她喝得太多了, but the friend she was talking to knew it was more serious and rushed to find Marcus.
"I walked over and could immediately tell that she was having a stroke," Marcus said. "My great-grandmother had a stroke (when I was 11) and she had the exact same look; it looked like the left side of her body had completely shut down."

Marcus remained calm when he called 911 and told the dispatcher that his 43-year-old wife was experiencing a stroke. The information allowed the hospital to get protocols in place while she was on the way. 然后, 他打电话回家告诉女儿们, 16岁时, 14和12, that their mom was being rushed to the hospital and a co-worker was on the way to stay with them.

核磁共振显示西比尔的右脑深处有一个血块. She received clot-busting medicine, but it failed to dissolve the clot. 西比尔需要做血栓切除术, a procedure in which doctors can use a catheter to get inside the brain and essentially pluck out the clot. 然而，这家医院不提供这种服务.

She was transferred by ambulance to a nearby hospital with a comprehensive stroke center. 手术前, 马库斯回忆起一位医生的话, “如果成功的话, 就像她从没中风过一样. 但是，如果我们什么都不做，这将成为她的新常态."

The doctor also said there was a small chance of complications that could be fatal.

“说吧，”马库斯说. 然后他做了祷告.

西比尔记得从麻醉中醒来, hearing voices and feeling an intense pressure in her groin – the site of the incision for the catheter. 她称之为“最可怕的噩梦”.但挑战才刚刚开始.

在加护病房住了一周之后, 医生确定中风是由颈动脉网引起的, 一种罕见的血管疾病，西比尔不知道自己得了这种病. 它会在动脉中形成一股组织, 然后导致动脉变窄, 所有这些都会增加血凝块的风险.

2021年5月, 在她中风几周后, doctors placed a stent in her right carotid artery to remove the web and keep the artery open. 西比尔称它为她的“时髦颈饰”."

Sybil spent a week in the hospital as doctors struggled to control her blood pressure. 而不是坐飞机去圣地亚哥的新家, Marcus took a 60-day leave from work to focus on helping his wife recover; family and friends helped with caring for their children.

中风使西比尔的左侧身体虚弱, 缺乏冷热感觉的，说话有点含糊的. She worked with a team of speech, occupational and physical therapists to overcome them.

她发现治疗“让人谦卑”." She struggled with the emotional toll of relearning basic skills like driving, 在杂货店购物，用刀为孩子们准备午餐. 在她中风后第一次去杂货店的时候, 西比尔走到收银台前，不记得怎么付款了.

“我不知道是因为焦虑还是别的什么原因, 但我站在那里盯着收银员，然后告诉了她, “我中风了. 请对我耐心点，’”西比尔说. "I wasn't just relearning; I was relearning with a left side deficit."

西比尔仍然难以集中注意力, especially when it comes to multitasking or focusing amid distractions. 她还必须克服抑郁和焦虑.

While grateful for the support she received from family and friends, Sybil longed to connect with others who understood the stroke recovery journey. She was especially eager to connect with others in the African American community, 哪些人患中风的风险更高. 她最近发起了中风讲座, a website that promotes stroke awareness and hosts virtual meetups for stroke warriors.

她很快就会与海外的中风幸存者联系. 在圣地亚哥待了两年之后, Marcus accepted a new duty posted in the Middle East country of Bahrain. 登机前, Sybil researched everything from the food and the culture to the medical system. 她很感激告别派对没那么令人难忘.

发自内心的故事 chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates.