就在她开始护士生涯的时候, 2 strokes changed the course of her life

关宝贝对自己刚刚开始的护理事业感到兴奋. 在加州出生和长大, she finished college there and went to New Hampshire for her master's degree. When she wasn't studying, she was outdoors, often hiking and rock climbing.

她的职业生涯始于波士顿的一家教学医院, 她在哪里开始接受心脏手术和康复方面的培训. 28岁时，她觉得自己的生活完美无缺.

11月的一个星期，她开始感到脚不稳. She found herself exhausted all the time, with occasional headaches. 她从12岁起就患有偏头痛，并认为这与偏头痛有关.

因为她几天没来上班而且没有好转, 一位朋友劝她去急诊室.

医生给他做了检查和血液检查. 检查没有结果，他们让她回家了. 但她仍然不够稳定，无法工作.

忧心忡忡的朋友们每天都来看她.

A couple days into that stretch, a friend found Guan on the bed, unable to move or speak clearly. 她的右脸耷拉着. 朋友打了911.

关在医院里醒来，不记得发生了什么.

医生说她中风了. They couldn't do anything to treat it because they didn't know when it had started.

她妈妈从加利福尼亚飞过来帮忙照顾她. 一个共同的朋友也联系了吉尔·纳瓦罗. Navarro and Guan had dated for seven years before she left for graduate school and a career. Now a math teacher in California, he flew to Boston as soon as he heard the news.

Guan spent a month in the hospital, including in a rehabilitation wing for physical therapy. Her right side, though not paralyzed, was extremely weak and her gait was unsteady. 她能说话，认知能力也很好. 她很害怕，但又充满希望.

医生无法确定她中风的原因. 他们发现她有高凝性, 血液凝结的趋势增加, 我想这可能是有联系的, 但是他们不确定.

Once Guan returned to her Boston home, her mother continued to stay with her. 关需要帮助，因为她仍然不稳. 几周后，关在试图喝水时噎住了. 她的母亲拨打了911.

At the hospital, doctors discovered that Guan had experienced a second stroke.

她的平衡和协调能力受到严重影响. She also had deficits in speech, motor ability and cognitive functioning. The optimism from her previous recovery was gone, replaced by disappointment.

"I felt angry for her because she'd made so much progress after the first stroke and then lost so much with the second,纳瓦罗说.

同样，医生也找不到她中风的确切原因. 病因不明的中风称为隐源性中风. 大约三分之一的血栓引起的中风被归类为隐源性中风.

在康复中心待了两个月之后, 关已经改善了, 但走路和吞咽都很困难. She could walk on flat surfaces using a walker but needed someone by her side for safety.

最重要的是, 关想念她庞大的菲律宾家庭, 他们中的大多数人都住在她长大的长滩地区. 她的父亲是12个兄弟姐妹中的一个，母亲是8个兄弟姐妹中的一个. She jokes that she can't even keep track of all her nieces and nephews.

"I didn't want to leave my doctors, but I also really wanted to go back to California,她说. “他们对我来说就是一切."

Her sister and Navarro worked together to arrange her transportation, 她家乡的保险和医疗.

那是六年前的事了. 现在35, Guan lives with Navarro and his parents in a single-level home in Cerritos, 洛杉矶东南部. 她的父母就住在附近.

She uses a four-wheel walker or wheelchair and is on full-time disability.

虽然她现在能吞咽了，但她总是采取预防措施.

即使是现在，吃东西也会让她感到焦虑. She only eats foods with certain textures and always has water on hand to help with chewing and swallowing.

她继续对她的步态进行物理治疗. 她的右侧身体仍然虚弱.

“当你长大了, 你想象你的生活将会是什么样子——有一份工作, 组建家庭,她说. “结果对我来说并不是这样."

尽管如此，纳瓦罗还是赞扬了关的坚持和总体的积极态度.

“复苏的沙巴足球体育平台比我们预期或希望的要长, 但是年复一年, 关继续进步,纳瓦罗说.

Guan keeps busy reading (especially historical romance) and watching anime series. 她最近开始通过视频学习钩针编织.

Another way she's kept active is by training for local Heart Walks benefiting the 美国心脏协会. She participates in 1-mile events in both Los Angeles and Orange County. To build her endurance, she and Navarro walk a circuit near their home.

During the events, her fellow walkers include some 30 family members and friends. 她特别喜欢在奥兰治县散步, 在阿纳海姆的天使体育场举行, 因为行尸会在大屏幕上闪现.

“这些照片真的很震撼，”她说. “总的来说, it's just amazing to have a walk where everyone goes at the survivors' pace and then we all celebrate together at the end."

发自内心的故事 chronicles the inspiring journeys of heart disease and stroke survivors, caregivers and advocates.