Personal Narrative: My Second Stroke

“Jessica, please go to the principal’s office,” is already scary enough to hear. Seeing my mom sitting up front in tears made it worse. Hearing that my dad had a stroke at the age of 43 was shocking. Understanding that he might need brain surgery made me cry. Just when I thought that was frightening, almost exactly two years later, my dad suffered a second stroke. He might not make it, they said, and for over a month, he couldn’t even say one word. That’s what made me think about the choices we make when it comes to our health. At 45 years old, my father had already suffered two strokes, what was in store for me? That’s when I realized that being healthy is not just an option for me; it’s a way of living.

Why did my dad have two strokes so young? Was it just all genetics? Yes and no; his mother just had a stroke a year before his first, and his grandmother had several strokes before she died in her early 60’s. So yes, genetics played a massive part in it. However, my dad had a hemorrhagic stroke, which was different than the strokes that his mother and grandmother had. Prolonged high blood pressure, due to an unhealthy lifestyle of poor eating habits, lack of exercise, and excessive weight gain, was the tipping

As a part of eating healthy, eating low carb has always been a favorable choice for my family. Eating 20 or fewer carbohydrates per day, while also eating high in protein, has been very effective for my family. This may seem like a difficult task, but in the long run, I know it’s worth it. If I do happen to obtain a disease, I’ll have a greater chance fighting the disease if I am healthier than to fight the disease when I am unhealthy.

Due to the illnesses that run in my family, a low carb and high protein diet, with the addition of exercise, is what I need. This I believe: being healthy is not just an option for me; it’s my way of staying