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A millionaire visits the poor family of his heart donor, and cries when he sees what’s happening –

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A businessman gets the address of his donor and decides to go to his house after dreaming about his family. But what he discovers when he gets there—and the reason for the disturbing dreams—leaves him petrified.

What would you do if you received a heart transplant and realized you were dreaming about your donor’s family?

This story happened in Los Angeles at the beginning of 2020. It was a cold and stormy night, with the wind howling outside and the moonlight filtering through the heavy curtains of a millionaire’s bedroom. Liam was lying in his huge velvet bed, but despite the luxury and comfort, his mind found no peace. He tossed and turned, restless and distressed, trapped in a dream as disturbing as it was vivid…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

In his dream, he saw a blonde woman, her curls bouncing as she ran with a little boy on her lap. The rain was coming down in torrents, soaking her clothes and obscuring her vision. The fear on her face was visible, and every step she took was accompanied by a desperate cry.

“John!” the woman screamed, her voice ripping through the night air. Behind her, sinister shadows moved quickly—men dressed in black, armed with knives and guns, advanced relentlessly. Their weapons gleamed in the lightning, and their eyes shone with cold cruelty. The poor woman’s desperation was overwhelming, and the sound of her heavy footsteps mingled with her sobs and the menacing murmur of her pursuers. Every glow of lightning illuminated the scene with terrifying clarity, highlighting the fear in the woman’s eyes and the innocence of the little boy.

Just as the men were about to attack, raising their weapons to strike her, Liam woke up panting. “No!” he shouted, feeling a sharp pain in his chest. His hand instinctively went to the scar from his heart transplant, which was fresh and still sensitive. One of the stitches had come loose. The physical pain and the memory of the dream mixed together, leaving the businessman dazed.

Liam quickly got ready, putting on a shirt and pants, his mind still stuck on the terrifying dream of the woman and the little boy. He needed to go to the hospital to get the loose stitch closed, but something else was bothering him deeply. The whole journey to the hospital was marked by the memories that haunted him—the blonde woman’s frightened expression, the desperation in her eyes, the sound of her scream. Everything was etched in his mind with painful clarity.

As he drove through the wet and deserted streets of Los Angeles, Liam couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something else behind these constant dreams. It wasn’t the first time he’d had them. Since the heart transplant surgery, these nightmares had been recurring every night, always the same dream, always the same anguish.

“What’s going on?” he whispered to himself, gripping the steering wheel tightly. The night seemed darker and colder than ever, and he felt a heaviness in his chest that went beyond pain.

Finally, he parked and entered the hospital. A few minutes later, Liam was sitting on a gurney while the nurse carefully worked to close the loose stitch in his chest. However, his mind wandered back to the haunting thoughts of the screaming blonde woman. He needed to understand why he was having these nightmares about people he had never even seen.

As the nurse worked, she noticed the businessman’s unease. “Is everything all right, sir?” she asked, with a look of concern.

“I… I’m just a bit distressed,” Liam sighed, a little hesitantly. Then he decided to tell her about the dream. He recounted in detail the blonde woman, the little boy, the armed men, and the feeling of despair that came over him every time he woke up.

The nurse, finishing the last knot in the stitch, listened attentively and then commented, “We often hear from patients who have had a heart transplant and experience indescribable or surreal events,” she said calmly as she closed the instrument case.

Liam frowned, puzzled. “Do you think this woman and the little boy are connected to my donor?” he asked, his tone revealing both curiosity and concern.

“I don’t know, but it could be,” she replied with a smile, discharging the businessman.

With his mind buzzing with questions, Liam went to the hospital’s reception to ask for the donor’s details. Initially, the answer was no, as this information was private and confidential to protect both the donor and the recipient. However, Liam, with his influence and generosity—proven by the many donations he had made to the hospital—insisted. He explained that he wanted to offer some form of compensation to the donor’s family.

The hospital administration, after discussing the matter, decided to give him the information he wanted. They recognized Liam’s continued support for the hospital and, considering his request, provided him with the information. But when he read the name of the person who had saved his life, Liam was stunned.

“John McConnor,” Liam muttered to himself, immediately remembering the name the blonde woman had shouted in his dreams. It was the same name that echoed in his nightmares every night, accompanied by the distressing visions.

With the address in hand, the millionaire felt a mixture of relief and anxiety. Now he had a concrete clue to the mystery surrounding his nightmares and the heart beating in his chest. Feeling an urgency to uncover the truth, he left the hospital quickly, heading straight home to think about what he would do next. As he drove through the silent streets of Los Angeles, Liam’s mind was in turmoil.

The next day, Liam woke up early, having been unable to sleep the night before due to his growing anxiety. He prepared to visit the address indicated in the donor’s information. Excitement and nervousness made his heart race. The man was determined to meet his donor’s family and offer financial compensation, even though he knew it wouldn’t bring John back. However, it was his way of expressing gratitude for having been given a second chance at life.

Driving his luxury car, Liam followed the GPS, which took him out of the city towards the outskirts of Los Angeles. As he drove, the landscape changed dramatically—the streets became narrower, the buildings more dilapidated, and the living conditions clearly precarious.

“John lived here?” he whispered to himself, shocked by the decay of the place. The discrepancy between his life of luxury and the reality of this neighborhood made him uncomfortable. When he finally arrived at the address, Liam couldn’t believe his eyes. The house was falling apart—small and worn out, with peeling walls and broken windows.

“How can someone live here?” he thought as he approached the door. He knocked and knocked again, but no one answered. His anxiety grew with every second, and his heart felt as if it would burst out of his chest—almost as if it recognized its home.

Flashbacks of the house from his dreams, with the blonde woman and the little boy, flooded his mind, leaving him disoriented. “Are these visions?” he asked himself, trying to understand what was happening. Although he was skeptical about mystical things, it was impossible to deny that something strange was occurring. The feeling of déjà vu became more intense and disturbing. Every detail of the place seemed to bring back a memory—an inexplicable connection to John and his family.

Liam was about to give up when an old lady came out of the house next door.

“Are you looking for Ashley?” she asked, with a curious expression.

Liam, confused, replied, “I’m looking for John McConnor’s family. I don’t really know the name of his wife.”

The lady sighed and revealed, “She ran away, sir.”

The man’s eyes widened in surprise. The old lady’s words echoed in his mind, leaving him perplexed and with more unanswered questions. He looked around, observing the poverty and despair that permeated the neighborhood. The search for the truth was just beginning, and he knew he had to find out more about John’s life, the blonde woman, and the boy who haunted his dreams.

The neighbor began to recount how one night she woke up to the sound of several men in black breaking into John and Ashley’s house. The noise was deafening, with furniture being smashed and desperate screams echoing through the neighborhood. The old lady said she saw through her window as John, Ashley, and their son ran away, trying to escape the attackers.

“After that, I never saw them again. That happened about a month ago,” the lady said, a sad look on her face.

Liam looked thoughtful. Coincidentally, it had been exactly that long since he had undergone heart transplant surgery. When he heard the old lady’s story, his heart began to pound with an intensity that felt like it was more than just his own. He needed to find Ashley—he needed to understand the connection between her and the dreams. The urgency grew inside his chest, as if John’s heart was urging him to act.

“What was she like?” Liam asked, his voice a little shaky.

The old lady ran into her house and returned with a small photo. It was from a dinner party at her house, which John and his family had attended. In the picture was his donor, John, a simple-looking man with a warm smile. Next to him was Ashley, the blonde woman from Liam’s dreams. Between them was their little son, with bright eyes and an innocent smile.

At that moment, Liam felt a tightness in his chest as he saw, for the first time, the face of the man whose heart now beat inside him. It was a deeply moving sight. He held the photo carefully, as if it were a precious treasure.

“I’ll find your wife, John,” Liam promised, determined to keep that promise, not only to give his thanks but also to understand why he was having these disturbing dreams.

The following days were marked by an incessant search for Ashley. The businessman began to visit the neighborhood every day, asking if anyone had seen the woman and showing her photo to anyone willing to help. He walked along the worn streets, going into stores and talking to the locals, but no one seemed to know where she was. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Every night, when he returned home, he kept having the same terrifying nightmare. He would see Ashley running with her little boy in her arms, screaming for her husband while the men in black pursued them relentlessly. The desperation in her eyes, the fear—it all fueled Liam’s determination.

The search was exhausting, but the man didn’t give up. Each day brought new hope, a new clue, as well as the frustration of returning to the starting point. He felt that he was getting closer and closer, and the thought of giving up never crossed his mind.

Liam reflected on life and death, on how John’s heart now connected him to this family he had never met. He felt a deep responsibility and a need to protect the ones his donor had loved. Even though he didn’t know them personally, there was an inexplicable, almost spiritual bond between him and John’s family. With every step he took, with every person he approached, his hope only grew.

Finally, about a week later, Liam found Ashley—but it wasn’t in the neighborhood where she had disappeared. He was on his way to his pharmacist downtown when he saw a woman at a traffic light, asking for money with a little boy about 3 years old on her lap. Liam’s heart almost stopped when he recognized her—it was John’s wife, Ashley.

He immediately stopped his car, disbelief clouding his mind. It was difficult for Liam to explain who he was and that he had her husband’s heart. The situation was delicate and surreal. Ashley, initially suspicious and frightened, was shocked by the revelation.

“My… my husband… you have his heart?” she asked, tears streaming down her face.

She cried bitterly, hugging her little boy tightly. Anguish and disbelief were evident on her face as she realized her husband was gone forever. She hadn’t known that John had died, and now, faced with this truth, she was crushed by the reality that he wasn’t coming back.

As Ashley recounted what had happened, Liam’s heart beat frantically, as if John himself were still present. Liam felt every word she said, as if John’s emotions were being transmitted through the heart that now beat in his chest. The woman revealed that John had borrowed money from loan sharks to pay for treatment for their son, Will. They were desperate to pay for the medical bills.

“John couldn’t pay his debt, and the henchmen came after us,” Ashley said, her voice trembling. “It was raining heavily, and they came for John. They wanted to kill him, so we ran and hid.”

Liam now understood his dreams as clear as day. They weren’t just dreams—they were memories of his donor’s anguished heart. The rain, the screams, the fear—it all made sense now.

Ashley continued, her voice shaking. “John left us hiding in an alley, far from our neighborhood, and went out to try to find some food. But he never came back… I’ve been looking for him ever since. And now… now he’s dead?”

She broke down, crying, holding her son in her arms. The despair in her voice and the sadness in her eyes were overwhelming. She had waited day after day for John to return, unaware that he had died.

The millionaire listened intently, each word deepening his connection with John. He felt a mixture of sadness and responsibility as Ashley spoke, feeling the weight of her loss as if it were his own.

What Ashley didn’t know was that John had been hit by a car that night and was in a serious condition. He had been taken to the hospital where Liam was staying, and when doctors discovered that John was a match and wouldn’t survive, they performed the emergency heart transplant to save Liam’s life. It was only after a few weeks that the medical team managed to identify John and locate his address, but by then, no one was at home to be informed of his death. Ashley and her son had continued searching for him, with no news and no answers.

It was only then that Liam fully understood what had been happening. It was as if John’s anguished heart had not been at peace because he had died, leaving his wife and son alone on the streets, in danger and starving. Somehow, John’s heart was reaching out, urging Liam to find them and help them.

Liam, realizing the magnitude of the situation, felt the urgency to do more than just listen. He needed to help Ashley and little Will. He needed to ensure that John’s memory was honored and that his family was safe.

“I’m sorry, Ashley. I’m going to do everything I can to help you,” he said, his voice filled with emotion, his eyes tearing up.

Ashley cried, hugging her little boy, who had lost his father. The grief she had suppressed for weeks now overwhelmed her completely. The news of John’s death, combined with the revelation of his heart beating in Liam’s chest, was too much for her to process.

Moved by their plight, Liam took Ashley and Will to his home. There, they were able to take a hot bath, eat a warm meal, and finally rest their tired bodies with a peaceful night’s sleep. For a mother who had spent so much time on the streets with a small child, this was an indescribable blessing.

Ashley couldn’t thank Liam enough for his kindness. “It’s the least I can do for the family of the man who saved my life,” Liam said, watching them rest. He felt a deep sense of inner peace seeing them safe and comfortable. For the first time since the transplant, Liam slept peacefully—a night free of nightmares, as if John’s heart had finally found peace, knowing that his family was protected.

The next morning, Liam woke up feeling an unusual calm, a peace he hadn’t experienced in months. He knew deep inside that John’s heart, now beating within him, had finally found some solace. Ashley and Will were still asleep in one of the guest rooms, resting for the first time in weeks.

Over the next few days, Liam began to make arrangements for Ashley and Will. He reached out to his legal team to ensure that Ashley and her son were financially secure. Liam knew that giving them shelter and food was just the start—he wanted to ensure they had stability for the future. He set up a trust fund for Will’s education and promised to cover all the boy’s medical expenses.

Liam also took steps to help Ashley rebuild her life. He helped her find a therapist to work through her grief and trauma, and he arranged for a new home in a safe neighborhood, where she could raise her son with peace of mind. Ashley, though still grieving the loss of her husband, began to express her gratitude for Liam’s support. She couldn’t believe how much this stranger, now bonded to her through John’s heart, had done for her family.

Days turned into weeks, and Ashley and Will began to settle into their new life. Liam made sure to stay involved, visiting them often and helping them adjust. The connection between Liam and Ashley grew stronger over time, and Liam found himself deeply moved by the bond he felt not just with Ashley but with Will as well. The little boy had lost his father, but through Liam, he found someone who cared for him as much as John had.

Almost a year after the heart transplant and the revelation of John’s tragic fate, Liam found himself falling in love with Ashley. At first, he wasn’t sure if these feelings were his own or if they were somehow tied to John’s heart. He questioned whether it was appropriate to fall in love with the wife of the man who had saved his life, but over time, he realized that his feelings were genuine.

Ashley, too, began to feel the same way. She had been through so much loss and heartache, but Liam had been there for her and Will every step of the way. She hadn’t planned on falling in love again, but the bond they shared—both because of John and the care and compassion Liam had shown—made it impossible to deny. Liam wasn’t just a man who had received her husband’s heart; he was someone who had shown her the love and kindness she thought she had lost forever.

One evening, as they sat together on Liam’s patio, watching Will play in the garden, Ashley turned to Liam. Her eyes were filled with emotion as she said, “I don’t know where we’d be without you. You’ve done so much for us. I… I didn’t think I could ever feel this way again.”

Liam looked into her eyes, his heart pounding in his chest—not with fear or anxiety this time, but with something deeper. He gently took her hand and said, “I never imagined my life would change this way either. But I want you to know that I’ll always be here for you and Will. Always.”

The two shared a quiet moment, the weight of everything they had been through filling the air between them. It was then that Liam realized—this was no longer just about honoring John’s memory. He had fallen in love with Ashley, and he wanted to be a part of her and Will’s life, not out of obligation, but out of a genuine desire to build a future together.

As time passed, their love grew stronger, and Liam’s home, once empty and filled with loneliness, became full of life, laughter, and joy. Will thrived, no longer living in fear or poverty, and he came to view Liam as a father figure. The bond between them deepened, and Liam felt that in taking care of John’s family, he had also found a family of his own.

On the anniversary of John’s death, the three of them visited his grave. Ashley placed flowers on the headstone, and Will, holding Liam’s hand, said a prayer for his father. Liam stood back for a moment, reflecting on everything that had happened in the past year. He had gone from being haunted by nightmares to finding peace, from being saved by a stranger’s heart to saving that stranger’s family.

“I’ll never forget what you did for me, John,” Liam whispered quietly, standing by the grave. “And I’ll take care of them. I promise.”

As they left the cemetery, the sun was setting on the horizon, casting a warm glow over the city. Liam felt a sense of fulfillment that he hadn’t known before. He knew now that his path had led him exactly where he was meant to be. He had been given a second chance at life, and through that chance, he had found love, purpose, and a family to call his own.

Ashley, now walking beside Liam, smiled and squeezed his hand. She had found peace too, knowing that although John was gone, his heart still beat on, not just in Liam’s chest but in the way they lived their lives—together, with love and gratitude.

And so, a life that began with a tragedy became one of hope and love, proving that even in the darkest moments, there can be light. Liam had not only gained a new heart but had also found a new reason to live, honoring the man who had saved him by building a future for his family.

 

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WATCH|| A Man Caught His Wife Red Handed Cheating On Him With Another Man In A Vehicle, See The End

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A dramatic scene unfolded on a quiet suburban street when a man discovered his wife in a compromising situation with another man inside a parked vehicle. The confrontation, which quickly escalated, drew the attention of passersby and sparked heated debates about infidelity and public humiliation.

According to witnesses, the husband, who had been suspicious of his wife’s behavior, followed her after she claimed to be running errands. His worst fears were confirmed when he found her in the embrace of another man in the front seat of a car parked discreetly near a shopping center…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

 

Video footage of the incident, captured by bystanders, shows the visibly enraged husband demanding an explanation as his wife and her alleged lover scramble to cover themselves. The man accused his wife of betraying their marriage vows, while the startled lover pleaded for calm, claiming he was unaware she was married.

The scene quickly went viral on social media, sparking widespread discussions. Some users expressed sympathy for the betrayed husband, while others criticized the public airing of private matters. “This is heartbreaking, but no one deserves to be humiliated like this, no matter the circumstances,” commented one user.

Psychologists and relationship experts weighed in, urging couples to seek counseling to address marital issues rather than resorting to confrontations that could escalate into violence or public spectacle. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>> READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Meanwhile, local authorities confirmed they were not pursuing any charges, as the altercation did not result in physical harm or property damage. However, they urged community members to handle personal matters privately and respectfully.

Infidelity remains a sensitive and divisive topic in society, often leaving deep emotional scars for those involved. While this incident has provided fodder for gossip and memes, it also highlights the complex dynamics of relationships and the pain betrayal can cause.

As the dust settles, the man’s heartbreaking discovery serves as a cautionary tale of trust, honesty, and the consequences of deceit in intimate relationships.

 

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Meet The 3 Men Who Killed Lucky Dube, Why They Killed Him and What Was Done To Them (Photos).

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Fortunate Man began making music when he was extremely youthful. Before 1984, when he began doing reggae, he made some “mbaqanga” records in Zulu and Afrikaans. Peter Tosh affected these melodies. In South Africa, he was the most popular reggae performer. After he met Bounce Marley and Peter Tosh and changed from mbaqanga to reggae, his Disc Detainee turned into the most famous record in South Africa during the 1980s and 1990s.

There were a ton of deals of the Serious Reggae Business assortment in Ghana. He won in excess of 20 honors at home and abroad. He went through his entire time on earth voyaging. It seemed as though somebody was attempting to take Fortunate Dube’s vehicle when he was killed. He was shot around midnight in an area in Johannesburg. He was 43 years of age. Scott Bobb, who works for us, sends us news from that point…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

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Five men were captured according to his demise, and on Walk 31, 2009, three of them were viewed as liable. The three individuals who went after the reggae vocalist said they shot and killed him when they attempted to take his vehicle since they thought he was Nigerian and didn’t realize he was a reggae artist. Police in South Africa say that three individuals shot the well known reggae craftsman as he dropped off his child in the Rosettenville neighborhood of Johannesburg.

Mpho Maruping, a state observer, said that her significant other had conceded to being important for Dube’s bombed seizing and told her what happened to the multi-grant winning genius. The lady told the Johannesburg High Court about the night Dube was shot while driving his child and little girl to school in Rosettenville. Dube’s family was crying behind the scenes. Maruping and Thabo Maruping are hitched. From the outset, he was blamed for killing Dube, however at that point he turned state’s observer.

 

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17 Years Old Slept in His Friend’s House Then He Woke Up to Find Out the Shock of His Life –

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Cody Dietz, a teenager from York, Pennsylvania, was your ordinary adolescent. As a 17-year-old, he enjoyed spending time with his peers and attending sleepovers on a regular basis. As it occurred, he’d been living a normal life until something happened one night that altered everything.

Cody’s mother, Bonnie, attempted to contact her son on his cell phone and inquire as to when he expected to return home, but he didn’t answer the call. When he didn’t return her call after a short period of time, she realized that something was seriously wrong. She tried calling him over and over again, but he didn’t pick up the phone. Bonnie began to feel apprehensive…Click Here To Continue Reading>> …Click Here To Continue Reading>>

 

 

More information on Cody’s story can be seen in the following video. Cody’s father’s phone finally rang, but it wasn’t Cody who was on the other end of the line. Cody’s companion informed them that Cody was unable to stand and was murmuring unintelligibly at the time of the incident. While he was holding the phone up to Cody’s mouth, all his father could hear was gurgling noises on the other end of it.

Cody’s parents were aware that something was badly wrong, and an ambulance was dispatched immediately. When the paramedics arrived, they initially thought Cody had suffered a stroke. However, he was later proved incorrect. He was flown to the nearest hospital in a rescue chopper as soon as they discovered him, and it was then that their fears were confirmed.

Dr. Ray Reischwein, the hospital’s neurologist, expressed considerable concern about Cody’s condition, saying, “The timeliness of the diagnosis is critical. Many of the therapies produce the best results when they’re completed within six hours.” Cody’s delay in receiving a diagnosis was approximately 12 hours.

In severe condition, Cody was sent to an MRI scan, which revealed that he had suffered a stroke on the left side of his brain. He only had a 20% chance of surviving the situation because of the amount of time that had gone between Cody’s stroke and his arrival at the hospital. Physicians were forced to undertake a difficult surgery that included the removal of the top of his skull in order to relieve the pressure on his brain. They would also reduce Cody’s body to 33 degrees Celsius or 91 degrees Fahrenheit, which is a process that’s commonly utilized on patients having open heart surgery and brain surgery. The cooling of the body minimizes the amount of oxygen consumed by the brain, preventing brain cells from being killed.

Cody spent three weeks in an induced coma following the procedure, during which time his parents feared for his life. During Bonnie’s time spent by her son’s bedside, trying not to lose hope, she recalled that Cody displayed signs of illness a week before suffering a stroke. He’d spoken slowly and garbled his words, and she’d seen that his limbs were twitching constantly throughout the conversation. The reason for this odd behavior had now been identified.

When Cody was brought out of his coma by physicians, the magnitude of the damage caused by the stroke was immediately apparent. The right side of his body was paralyzed, and he was unable to speak or write anymore. Doctors informed the family that their son’s rehabilitation would take a long time, and that they could not expect him to make a full recovery.

After a few weeks, Cody astonished everyone by regaining his ability to talk, and after two years of hard rehabilitation, he was back to his previous level of fitness. Following his horrific experience, Cody’s dedicated himself to educating other teenagers and their parents about the symptoms that can indicate the onset of a forthcoming stroke. “I wish I’d gone to the doctor sooner, but who knows what could have happened,” Cody said.

It’s also his mother, Bonnie, who’s been working tirelessly to raise awareness about the hazards and symptoms to watch out for. These include a feeling of faintness, facial paralysis, slurred speech, and eyesight issues. “My suggestion to parents is to not overlook any signals that their child may be experiencing,” Bonnie cautioned. “The most significant issue with strokes is that they’re extremely difficult for people to notice. It’s common for people to believe that strokes only occur in older people and to disregard the symptoms when they manifest themselves in younger adults and youngsters.”

The unfortunate irony of this is that doctors have actually detected a rise in the number of stroke cases among teenagers and children, and they believe this is due to an increase in the number of people living unhealthy lives. The fact is that many teenagers smoke, drink, and do drugs in the mistaken belief that they’re immortal. Unfortunately, many of them learn the hard way that they’re not, in fact, immortal.

Hopefully, by raising awareness among youth and their parents about the dangers of stroke and learning to recognize the signs and symptoms, strokes can be avoided or, at the very least, dealt with before it’s too late. The onset of a stroke can occur at any stage.

When Cody Dietz failed to awaken the morning after a party, his pals assumed he was suffering from a hangover and allowed him to sleep. They had no idea that their 17-year-old friend had suffered a stroke that may have resulted in his death, but it happened. The father of his friend contacted me and said, “Your son is stumbling around. Can I call 9-1-1?” Cody’s mother, Bonnie Dietz, recalled the events of July 30th, 2008, when Cody was killed. She explained that the boys had been drinking at another location the night before and had gone to his friend’s house thereafter.

A CAT scan performed at York Hospital’s emergency department revealed that her son had suffered a major left brain stroke. He was airlifted to Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center by Life Lion helicopter, whereas neurologist Dr. Ray Reichwein had no time to waste in making critical decisions on his behalf. “The diagnosis must be made within a specific time frame. Many of the treatments are most effective when administered within six hours. Cody’s delay in diagnosis was close to 12 hours,” said Reichwein, who was unable to administer some of the conventional treatments due to the delay in diagnosis. READ FULL STORY HERE>>>CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING>>>

Cody’s friend’s lack of knowledge is not uncommon. Most adults, let alone teenagers, are unaware that a teenager can suffer a stroke, according to medical professionals. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, stroke is one of the top 10 causes of mortality among children, and the number of children who die from it is increasing.

Reichwein, head of Hershey’s Stroke Program, said that over the past several years, the usual risk factors—things like obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, smoking, and a more sedentary lifestyle—have become more prevalent in children. Those risk factors are associated with a considerable increase in the rise of a stroke. To make matters worse, most teenagers are unaware of their risk factors, and they’re unaware that certain lifestyle choices, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, using marijuana, or taking birth control pills, can put them at even greater risk of having a stroke, according to Kathy Morrison, manager of Hershey’s Stroke Program.

“Most teenagers are unaware of their risk factors,” she said. “Because teenagers believe they’re indestructible and believe that stroke is mainly a problem for old people, adolescent stroke isn’t even on their radar screen,” according to Morrison, who’s in charge of Hershey’s School Age Stroke Awareness Program.

When Cody’s story is told to kids, they’re very taken aback, she says. “It doesn’t get much more dramatic than this for him.” Cody was suffering from severe brain swelling, and there was nowhere for it to go. In the absence of further intervention, his type of stroke carries an 80% mortality risk, and his was likely close to 100%, said Reichwein, who removed part of Cody’s skull and extended the lining over the surface of the brain to reduce swelling.

Cody was next subjected to therapeutic hypothermia, in which his body was cooled to 33 degrees in order to aid in the survival of injured brain cells and the reduction of edema. After several days, the swelling had subsided to a minor degree. In spite of this, his mother stated, “We weren’t sure whether he would make it for another three weeks. We had a large number of people praying for him. His presence here, I believe, is solely due to the grace of God.”

In the wake of the stroke on his left brain side, Reichwein explained that his speech and understanding were impaired, as was his ability to use his right side and dominant hand. “We have such a positive outcome given the extent of his brain injuries. It’s nothing short of a miracle. I’m not the only one working here. There’s another women in their 20s and 30s who were on the birth control pill are among the young stroke victims seen by Robin Petras, executive and program director at the Central Pennsylvania Aphasia Center in Danville, who says she encounters a significant number of young stroke victims. Taking contraceptives has been linked to a higher risk of stroke than other health risks, in her opinion.

“When someone is young, they don’t necessarily identify the signs of a stroke, especially if they come and go,” according to Reichwein. It’s critical that people understand that strokes may occur at any age and they’re aware of these signs and symptoms, and that they do not disregard them because “time is brain,” as the saying goes.

One of the most common symptoms is a rapid onset of weakness, usually on one side of the body, such as facial drooping or arm weakness. Other symptoms include speech or language difficulties, visual loss or double vision, and a lack of coordination, according to him. A severe headache accompanied by neck stiffness could be an indication of an aneurysm. Heart attacks and strokes are similar in that both include vascular events, but a stroke is different in that it affects the brain rather than the heart, according to Morrison. Because stroke is not painful, people may choose to wait for the symptoms to subside, but this is the worst thing they can do.

Stroke may be prevented in 80% of cases if risk factors are controlled, according to Morrison, who believes that education is extremely crucial. Cody, now 21 years old, and his mother, who live in Lower Windsor Township, York County, share their experience with new workers at the medical center and at hospital grand rounds. Their story is also featured in a movie that’s presented at school in health fair presentations across the country.

“Don’t disregard any signals your youngster may have,” Bonnie Dietz advises parents. “This could be a TIA or mini-stroke,” according to Reichwein. Ignoring a TIA for three months increases the risk of stroke by 20%, according to Reichwein. Cody had multiple variables that put him at risk for a stroke while not having obvious warning signs. A pinhole in his heart and a genetic clotting issue were all hidden from him. He also drank that day during the party. “I wish I’d seen a doctor before my stroke, but who knows?”

Cody had to relearn everything from walking and talking to eating and writing throughout his five-week hospital stay and three-week rehabilitation stay. He still has three weekly sessions of PT, OT, vision, and aqua. Cody struggles to express himself, frustrate him every day, but he remains optimistic that he being present was a plus. His mom is always supportive.

“What has God promised you?” I constantly ask Cody. “Absolutely,” Cody said. “It’s happening.” Thanks for watching.

 

 

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