By Angela Cowan/B次元官网网址 staff

When Kim Jordison was 34, she developed a severe headache at work, the most painful of her life.

The left side of her face was hanging and she couldnB次元官网网址檛 speak.

After the immediate severity passed, she told a co-worker what had happened, and they both made a joke of it.

B次元官网网址�(My co-worker) said, maybe youB次元官网网址檙e having a stroke,B次元官网网址� the Langford resident recalled. B次元官网网址淲e laughed about it.B次元官网网址�

She downplayed that notion by telling herself strokes only happen to older people. Believing her symptoms werenB次元官网网址檛 that serious, she finished her work day then decided to drive herself to emergency. Staff there ran a number of tests before finally establishing she had suffered a transient ischemic attack.

TIAs, or mini-strokes, can last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours and are a significant warning sign that thereB次元官网网址檚 something wrong with blood flow to the brain. TheyB次元官网网址檙e also most often associated with seniors, which made JordisonB次元官网网址檚 experience all the more difficult.

B次元官网网址淭he most frustrating part of it was even exhibiting signs of a stroke, and even coming in (a second time) in an ambulance, they just didnB次元官网网址檛 think thatB次元官网网址檚 what was wrong with me,B次元官网网址� she said.

Medical staff suggested BellB次元官网网址檚 palsy to explain the facial paralysis, then did a lumbar puncture to test for meningitis. Eventually the doctors were able to determine Jordison had had a stroke.

While she admitted her experience was frightening, her situation is not as rare as might be expected.

A recent report from the Heart and Stroke Foundation stated that a stroke occurs in Canada every 10 minutes, and nine in every 10 Canadians have at least one risk factor for heart disease or stroke. A recent international study predicts stroke rates for younger generations B次元官网网址� people as young as 24 B次元官网网址� will double within the next 15 years.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 so important to get awareness out,B次元官网网址� said Shelley Nicholl, B.C.B次元官网网址檚 manager of public relations and communications for the Heart and Stroke Foundation. She said the warning signs: weakness or paralysis, trouble speaking, sudden headache, vision problems or sudden dizziness, should be taken seriously and checked immediately, even if it seems unlikely that itB次元官网网址檚 a stroke.

Jordison agrees.

B次元官网网址�(Strokes) donB次元官网网址檛 all happen the way the textbooks say. People just donB次元官网网址檛 realize that it can happen to anybody,B次元官网网址� she said.

Jordison, now 40, said she wouldnB次元官网网址檛 wish the experience on anybody. But it did make her and her family more aware of the precious and precarious nature of life.

B次元官网网址淓very day is a gift. You never know if youB次元官网网址檙e going to have a tomorrow.B次元官网网址�

Nowadays, she and her family make a point of spending a lot of quality time together. TheyB次元官网网址檝e set up a sort of bucket list, with an actual bucket.

B次元官网网址淚n the different seasons, we just write things in,B次元官网网址� Jordison said. B次元官网网址淥ne of the things was to go on a picnic, and I thought that was so easy we didnB次元官网网址檛 need to write it down. But you do need to actually make time for these things.B次元官网网址�

Above all, she said, her perspective is what has been affected most.

B次元官网网址淚t just makes you appreciate life that much more.B次元官网网址�

To find out more about strokes and other heart-related conditions, visit or call 250-382-4035.

editor@goldstreamgazette.com