Liesl Gretz
My name is Liesl Gretz. I'm a 34-year-old female, & I have had 2 hemorrhagic strokes due to a congenital AVM. The 1st brain hemorrhage occurred while I was sitting in class in 8th grade (it was 1983 & I was 13). There were no warning signs or anything. I simply collapsed in class, then intermittently fainted & vomited for about an hour. I was rushed to the nearest hospital, where I slipped into a coma, & stayed that way for approximately a week. Against all odds, I awoke from the coma. The right side of my body had been affected (I was right-handed at the time), my voice was slurred, & I couldn't see very well, as I had double vision. I was told by the Drs. that I would probably never walk again either. Twelve-hour brain surgery was performed to ensure that I would never have another bleed from the AVM. Despite all my nightmares & doubts, the Drs.' reassurances made me believe that I was safe.
Through intense therapy, I regained my ability to walk & to talk. I spent the following 3 years teaching myself to be left-handed, & learning to live without my beloved sports. I also had to accept the fact that I was now quite different from everyone else (not an easy thing to do at age 13). I graduated with the rest of my class in 1987, despite the fact that I had missed most of my 8th grade year. I took a few years off after high school & concentrated on improving my eyesight. I went to countless Drs. & they all said the same thing to me, "No glasses can ever help you, & your eyes are inoperable."
But I still had my life! Not quite the way it was before, but it was there, nonetheless. So, I simply accepted the fact that my eyes were less-than-perfect now & got on with my life. I decided to attend community college. I did so on a part-time basis, & graduated in May, 1997.
Then, in June, 1997, I was sitting on the sofa in my apartment when I had the 2nd brain hemorrhage. The bleed played out exactly as the 1st one did. I collapsed, then intermittently fainted & vomited for a while. My boyfriend (now my fiancé) came home about 8 hours later & found me unconscious on the floor with vomit on my clothes, close to death. I was rushed to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where I spent a few days on life-support, then a week in a coma (again). When I woke up, I asked the nurse what the hell happened. She told me that my brain bled again. I was so confused! I was told I would never have to go through this again.
As it turned out, the neurosurgeon who performed the 1st brain surgery in 1983, had inadvertently left part of the AVM untreated. So it grew back and re-ruptured 15 years after the 1st hemorrhage.
An excellent neurosurgeon by the name of Dr. Grant Sinson, M.D., performed a craniotomy in July, 1997, followed by stereotactic radiosurgery 3 months later on a residual AVM.
I doubted my ability to overcome another brain hemorrhage. But I refused to let it get the best of me; this is one situation in which being stubborn is a definite asset. Through intense therapy (again), I regained my ability to walk & to speak.
The resiliency of the human heart & soul amazes me to this day.
About 2 years after the last bleed, I began my crusade to educate & make people aware of this silent killer. I went to Washington, D.C. & gave testimony to Congress about the importance of stroke research. The "Stroke Connection Magazine" did a feature story about my trip to D.C. A few years later, "Woman's Day Magazine" also did a story about my experiences with stroke. It's been 6 years since the 2nd stroke & I'm doing quite well. I'm walking, talking, & driving. I've moved to Arizona with my fiancé. I spend a lot of time sweating now. LOL This is where we've both always wanted to live. I feel as though I'm living "Happily Ever After?"
To look at me, one would never in a million years guess that something like this has happened. But if you look just past my appearance, there are some very real scars. Ones that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Believe it or not, if I could live my life all over, I wouldn't change a thing (except maybe the "hairless" parts of it). hehe The hemorrhages have become part of who I am, & taught me so much about life at early ages. I'm sure that I appreciate being alive more than many others do. And I do not take anything for granted.
I'm pretty fortunate.
Thanks to Liesl 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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