Jessica Colborn

Hi, my names Jessica Colborn, i'm a member of Different Strokes and attended the annual conference a couple of weeks ago, and thought it was about time i put my story on the website, so here you go!

i suffered my stroke initially on the 31st may 2010 when i was just 17 - although i didn't know at the time it was a stroke. it started out just a headache, a very dull pain in the back of my head as soon as i woke up at my boyfriends (Nathan) house. we had planned to go to the county show at Corbridge, as i do every year, so i was determined a headache wasn't going to spoil mine or his day. over the morning the pain in my head got worse and worse, so i took some pain killers and decided to start drinking with everyone else at about 11 thinking it might ease the headache. It was a beautiful sunny day, and that with the mix of alcohol made me think my headache was turning into a migraine (i often got those) or sun stroke. So by about 3 i'd decided to try and nap in the shade behind one of the marquees, that didn't work though, but to save feeling like a spoil sport i decided not to go and have fun with my friends and Nathan. A lot of people noticed my slurred speech at the time - thinking i was just drunk which was really funny at the time, and never thought anything of it, however i never noticed as the pain in my head was becoming sharp and was the only thing i could think about. at around 6 we took the train home, and waited at the train station for a lift home off Nathans step dad, by this time the pain was immense. I'd swallowed around 5 ibuprofen to try and get rid of the agony, but they were no use, all i remember is hysterically crying saying i couldn't take the pain, and that i'd never felt anything like it before. Nathan was worried, but we decided that it probably was just a migraine with sun stroke, and to go home and try to sleep it off. on the car journey home i had to jump out of the car to get some air because my lungs were screaming and my heart was pounding as if i was having a heart attack, that quickly subsided though so we carried on home to go to bed. i rang my mum as soon as i got in, she suffers migraines too so told me to just go to bed, and drink plenty water. i slept very little through the night, becoming more and more drowsy, i felt high off the pain as if it wasn't real. at around 4 in the morning my boyfriend got up for work, and got me something to eat and drink before he went as i'd thrown up the night before, i couldn't have any of it though as i struggled to even lift my head. this is when i became really scared. i tried to go to the bathroom, which was about 5meters from the bed, and i couldn't walk, my left side was just dragging and i fell in a lump on the floor. i dragged myself to the phone and rang my dad, trying to tell him what was wrong but my tongue felt huge in my mouth and i kept slurring simple words like mam or dad, it felt surreal. hearing what state i was in my dad drove the 20mile journey to pick me up and take me home, only when he got there he realized something wasnt right. i remember lying on the bed in my underwear, he had to carry my down the stairs and into his van - and we began the journey to Hexham general hospital. all the way i was very aware of my heart beating - it was hard and fast, and i had the feeling of being removed from the situation - like it wasn't really happening and it was daft me going to A&E when i was fine. When we got to the hospital i was rushed to a bed and the next 24 hours is a bit of a blur, it was the 1st June now, and i vaguely recall going for cat scans and a lumbar puncture - which hurt. But they found nothing. My family were there, all really worried and concerned about my health, i just kept joking about how i was getting all the attention for once and not my older sister (shes a right drama queen). The left side of my face was also weakened now, and i was laughing about how funny it was and pulling funny faces with my lips.

Late that night, the doctors decided to send me to Newcastle General in an ambulance, where i was to have an MRI scan the next day.

The MRI revealed a cavernoma - a jumbled mass of blood vessels, and this was located in the posterior fossa (pons) of my brain - it had burst and began to bleed. This is what caused the paralysis of my left side and slurring of speech and the feeling of being unaware of what was happening.

On the 3rd June, i was taken to theater. beforehand the surgeon - an amazing man called Mr Griffiths, explained to me what was going to happen, along with the rest of his team. all i remember is a mass of green at the end of my bed - the doctors in there scrubs. my parents signed the consent form, ive never seem them in that state before, i cant even begin to explain it, there pain just seemed so raw. the last thing i said was to my dad after they had signed the form was 'does it say i could die?' and wiping the tears from my dads face before going into the anesthetic room. I've never felt so vulnerable in my whole life.

The next 5 months were to be the hardest days of my life. post surgery i was left with left sided paralysis and right sided facial palsy. the mixture of emotions i felt is unreal - should i have felt lucky to be alive, or unlucky that i should be put in this position through no fault of my own. what was going to happen, would everything go back to normal? An unbelievable amount of anger ran through me - i was due to sit my As level exams the week after my stroke - and i'd spent months and months revising, i was planning on going to uni to study dentistry, and i was determined i was going to get there.

To cut a very long story short, on June 26th i went to live at Walker Gate Park rehabilitation center. After months of hard work on my behalf and the staff there, i was up on my feet. it felt amazingly liberating to have my freedom back.

I hated not being able to wash myself, make a cup of tea or just go for a walk - its the simple things you miss when your mobility is taken away from you. my support network was amazing, despite living an hour and a half away, my parents would visit each day, and my friends and Nathan would visit when they could - i felt very lucky. its true that love can overcome anything.

In January 2011 i returned to school part time, it was great to get back with all my friends, and Nathan had gone back to school to study his A levels, i wouldn't of been able to do it without him holding my hand all the way. All the teachers from school were immensely supportive and kind, and became close friends to many while i was in hospital.

On March 14th i went into hospital to undergo surgery for my facial palsy. the phenomenal Mr Ahmed from the RVI performed a cross facial nerve graft, which is already beginning to show progress, and the second/final operation is due in March 2012. The prospect of having a normal smile again I cannot explain in words.

At this moment in my life, i'm back at school full time, and have just sent away my university application to study Medicine. I'm almost back to normal physically, and i am immensely happy with my life. All i can say to anyone in a similar position to myself is never give up, perseverance will get you where you want to be.

Thanks to Jessica for sending in her profile. Anyone else who would like to share their story can send it along with a photograph (if you're not shy!)

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