ARGYLE, Texas — Like most 18-year-old college students, having a stroke was the furthest thing from Sam Gladys’ list of immediate concerns, until she had one out of the blue in October. 

What You Need To Know

  • Sam Gladys suffered a stroke when she was 18 years old

  • Leaders at Texas Health say it was caused by a small opening between the two upper chambers of Gladys’s heart. It’s the type of disorder that most don’t ever detect until something goes wrong

  • According to the American Heart Association, about 10-15% of the 795,000 people in America who suffer strokes annually are between the ages of 18 and 45

 

“A normal day,” said Gladys, a freshman at the University of North Texas. “[I] went to school, came home and got ready for work and I was heading downstairs and I had a pain in my head and I was like, ‘This is not normal.’”

It was a pain she couldn’t shake and it kept progressing. Gladys said she began to lose control of her body and it became difficult to speak. She was young, healthy and very active as a former varsity cheerleader, recently graduated from Argyle High School, but suddenly she was in an emergency like she’d never experienced before.

Luckily, Gladys’ parents were able to get her to the emergency room where she soon learned she was having a stroke from two blood clots in the artery that supplies blood flow to her brainstem. Gladys was airlifted to Texas Health Fort Worth for emergency surgery where they found the cause of the stroke that doctors said had been lurking in her body since birth.

“They eventually were like, ‘oh, the reason you had this was because of the hole in your heart,’” said Gladys, “And I’m like, ‘A hole in my heart? I just had a stroke and now you’re telling me I have a hole in my heart?’”

Leaders at Texas Health say it was a patent foramen ovale, a small opening between the two upper chambers of Gladys’s heart.

Dr. Matthew Fiesta, M.D., the neurointerventional radiologist who treated Gladys says it’s the type of disorder that most don’t ever detect until something goes wrong.

“There’s no way to know unless you have some other reason, I mean, no one’s getting ultrasounds of their heart to look for it,” said Fiesta.

According to the American Heart Association, about 10-15% of the 795,000 people in America who suffer strokes annually are between the ages of 18 and 45. Fiesta said it’s certainly not a common thing to see in his hospital rooms, but he does see patients in that younger range from time to time.

Experts say the causes can vary from hidden threats, like Gladys’, to family history, to lifestyle decisions like poor diet and exercise or smoking can play major roles. Fiesta said the possibility is always there, and that’s why he encourages everyone to know the warning signs of a stroke and seek medical help if something arises.

“The key thing is, if you have these warning signs like arm weakness that comes and goes, that’s more of an emergency, don’t ignore that,” said Dr. Fiesta. “Don’t go to your primary care doctor, don’t tell your friends, don’t call your parents, ya know, go to the ER.”

The American Heart Association lists some of the most common stroke symptoms as: 

  • Numbness of the face, arms, or legs
  • Confusion and trouble speaking
  • Difficulty walking, dizziness, or loss of balance
  • Trouble with vision
  • Severe headache

Luckily for Gladys, the warning signs were very clear and she got to help quickly. As a result, doctors fixed her heart and three months later, she’s back on her feet and ready to get back to classes. 

Gladys admits that she never would have thought she’d have a stroke at her age, but after her experience she’s taking nothing for granted.

“I’m just more aware of how I’m feeling,” she said. “I’m just really happy that I’m out.”