“Honey, will you look at the pupils in my eyes,” I heard my husband ask.  He steadied himself down into the recliner, and I gazed into his gorgeous blue pupils.  Nope, they were the same size.  “Why?” I ask.  “I am seeing two of everything and having blurred vision”, he replied.  Noticing the time was near when he was to leave for work, he got up and started walking across the room to the stairs.  I watched him as he nearly lost balance and ran into the wall.  “You are not going to work,” I told him.  I looked at his face once more and asked him to smile.  The left side of his month drooped.  I knew something was wrong.

     I called our family physician to confirm my suspicion.  We were told to go immediately to the emergency room at the nearest hospital, as it was possible that he was having a stroke.  A stroke at age 40?  Really?  He is an active runner, eats somewhat healthy, and is in good physical condition.  There is no family history of heart issues, so what gives?

     Since my husband works nights, our seven year-old daughter put on leggings under her nightgown, and off we went to the hospital.  If you know how emergency rooms are and the wait time, this trip took me by surprise.  Due to the seriousness of his symptoms, we were rushed off to immediately see a doctor, who put my husband through a series of tests.  The prognosis was that it appeared that he had a mini-stroke, or TIA.  This came a bit of a shock.  Did I mention that my husband is physically fit and only age 40?  He was then admitted as a patient and whisked off to his room.  Knowing there wasn’t anything else I could do, I took my daughter home and returned her to bed.  Her last day of school before Spring Break was going to be in a few hours.

     I would have never expected something like a mini-stroke to happen to my healthy husband.  He is always the one who never gets sick.  However, had I not known some of the signs and symptoms, it may have not been caught.  I had to have a “stroke” of genius, or an effective idea or act, to respond accordingly.    Now, as a busy mom, I had more on my plate to deal with in his absence, not to mention keep up on his hospital and medical updates.  I didn’t know how, but everything was going to be just fine.  And it did.  Our daughter appeared to be unshaken by the whole series of events.  She even had a “sleepover” in the hospital in her dad’s room one night.  How did she totally not show drama and being frightened over this incident?  I think it’s mostly because I didn’t have a mental breakdown over this event.  She was present when the doctor told us the news, and my husband and I didn’t over dramatize or dive deep into what was happening.  We explained what we needed to.  She is, as I mentioned, only seven. 

     How do you handle events which totally take you by surprise?  Do you take action or avoid it?  While it is difficult to expect the unexpected, sometimes a “stroke” of genius will help you get out of an unpleasant situation.  If you avoid or aren’t equipped to take action, life can become more complicated and busier.  But, you can remedy this by being aware of various issues that could affect you and your loved ones today.  It could be the difference between life or death.