GLENDALE, AZ - Its a common misconception that strokes only occur in the elderly.
Twenty-four-year old Sean Corcoran suffered a stroke in June 2011, after he was diagnosed with pancreatitis.
I was coughing and vomiting non-stop. I went to St. Josephs and by chance was taken to the neurological floor. Thats when they noticed my motor skills were off because I kept raising my right hand but not my left, Corcoran said.
Corcoran was in a coma for three days and when he woke up, he was unable to walk.
I was in rehab every single day trying to re-learn with bars on both sides to hold me up. Really it was my obsession with writing and literature that pushed me through it all, Corcoran said.
More than a year later, Corcoran walks with a cane for support. Although he cannot work full time, he volunteers at his local public library twice a week to pursue what he loves the most.
Luckily the stroke didnt impair my speech or my thought process. The only really noticeable thing is my left hand is clutched tight and I cant really open it. But I still really can do everything that involves reading and books, he said.
Corcoran considers himself one of the lucky ones, not having to deal with more serious stroke side affects. He hopes his journey will help others be more informed about youth getting stroke, and to make aware all of the misconceptions about the disease.
In recognition of stroke awareness month in May, Doctor Joni Clark, a stroke neurologist with the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Josephs Hospital and Medical Center is trying to emphasize the rising rates of stroke among youth.
Stroke is no longer an elderly persons disease. Obesity and diabetes which often lead to high blood pressure and high cholesterol are major contributing factors for the increase of stroke in younger individuals.
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