Winnipeg stroke survivor learns 'everything' again

Most of us learn how to walk once in our lifetime, but 56-year-old Kerry Forsyth has done it five times so far in her life.

She had her first stroke in 1992. At that time, she had two young children, ages four and eight, and there were some symptoms beforebut the consensus was that she might have hadMultiple Sclerosis. That waswrong.

"You have this tremendous headache [and]your head feels like it's going to explode inside," Forsyth said.

"You have a weakness down on one side; some people have dizzy spells, some people can have blurred vision or their speech can all of a sudden become really slurry, become very, very tired. Everybody reacts differently to it."

After her stroke, she was hospitalized for fourmonths and had to learn how to do everything again. She couldn't move her fingers, couldn't speak, couldn't walk.

"You feel helpless, you literally feel helpless, and it's a horrible feeling," Forsyth said. "But it's not one day at a time, it's one step at a time."

She's had threemore "episodes,"as she calls them: anotherstroke and twovasospasms, which occurwhen a blood vessel has a spasm causing sudden constriction and a reduction in blood flow.

"At the time, it felt like someone had drew an imaginary line right down the centre of my body and there was nothing on my right side," Forsythsaid. "I could burn my hand cooking no feeling there whatsoever. My right leg, no feeling."

Her recovery has been long and each time she has an episode, she starts it all over again: from wheelchair, to walker, to cane, to without. Right now, she's walking with a cane.

"The brain says one thing and the body says something else, but part of that brain says you know you've done it before, you can do it again." Forsyth said.

With the help of Candace Swick from Bee Wellness, a rehab facility for older adults and those with rehab needs, Forsyth's recovery has accelerated.She started the specialized rehab in October and it has dramatically improved her mobility.

Swick's functional rehab is geared to stroke recovery, focusing on treating the person instead of the ailment. For example, Forsythworks on core, hip, and leg strength. She walked with a stagger in her step six months ago andnow she does not.

"Her goal was to walk better. I discovered that her lower limbs were weak, so instead of focusing on just major muscle groups, I got into her gait," Swick said.

With Swick's help, Forsyth is on her way to complete mobility, but it helps to have a dedication and drive like Forsyth has.

"You just have to overcome it. You have to have that strength you can't just give in and say 'woe is me, uh-uh forget it.' You know what, you're still young," Forsyth said.

"I was like 'no I'm not going to give up.' You have to kick some butt and go with it."

She calls herself a survivor, not a victim.

"It's like all of a sudden you begin to say, 'you know what, I've survived this and I'm going to keep on going. I'm not going to give in to it'."