My stroke hasn’t stopped me
My story by Josée Boudreault
In July 2016, I had a stroke at the age of 47 while on vacation with my partner and my three girls. On the first night of our trip, I woke up my partner, Louis-Philippe, because I wasn’t feeling well. He quickly realized that my face was drooping, I had trouble speaking and my right side was paralyzed. He immediately recognized the FAST signs of stroke from Heart & Stroke’s ad and told the hotel reception to call 9-1-1.
A blood clot traveled from my leg through an oval foramen (a hole in my heart that I didn’t know I had) to the part of the brain that controls language.
Paramedics arrived quickly at the hotel and took me to a hospital specializing in stroke care. Once there, I had a thrombectomy, which is a delicate procedure that removes the clot in the brain. Meanwhile, hotel staff were taking care of my daughters until friends arrived to bring them back home.
At the time of my stroke, I was working as a radio and TV personality. I had also written two books and presented conferences about self-love. The stroke took away all my words, including my daughters’ names, which were chosen with such love and care. It also robbed me of my best stories, those that I had pleasure sharing. The only thing I could say was “awèye”, a colloquial way of saying “come on” in French. And I said it very, very often!
Josée Boudreault with her partner, Louis-Philippe Rivard.
Back at home, I did a lot of rehab and improved immensely, notably thanks to my determination, but also to the endless support of my partner and my daughters. They reminded me of the words I thought I knew, or they taught me those I had completely forgotten. Despite all my efforts, I still suffer from aphasia. I have trouble communicating, reading is very difficult, and writing is impossible. But none of that has stopped me. The blood clot didn’t take away my wit, humour, optimism, and drive. Today, I lean on my misfortune to give even more depth and energy to my conferences, which I now present with Louis-Philippe by my side.
When I had my stroke, I knew very little about the condition. I thought it only happened to elderly people. I learned that a stroke can happen to anyone, at any time, regardless of their age. I also learned that recognizing the signs of stroke and knowing how to react (calling 9-1-1) can help us save the lives of the people we love. That’s why I’ve been involved with Heart & Stroke as a spokesperson for their FAST campaign for many years now.
Besides the main signs of stroke described in the FAST acronym, I would like people to know just how precious our hearts and brains are, and that we need to take care of them. As for me, I couldn’t control my heart defect, but I could control many other risk factors. The healthier we are, and the more we care for our hearts, the faster we can get back on our feet.
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