05/20/2025
New mom Erin Adelekun woke up with a pounding headache, her head pulsing and throbbing. Fifteen minutes later, her husband called her down to breakfast. Erin tried to speak, but it was gibberish. Her right arm was completely limp, and her right leg was weak β common signs of a stroke.
By the time she got to the emergency room, Erin couldn't walk. An MRI showed both sides of her brain were bleeding -- a hemorrhagic stroke. She was airlifted to a different hospital for emergency surgery.
Three weeks later, Erin woke up from a medically induced coma. Her right side was still immobile, and she couldnβt speak. The brain bleed caused aphasia, a disorder that impacts the ability to talk. She started physical and speech therapy. Three months after her stroke, she went home with a four-point cane and a wheelchair for distances.
Erin was nervous that her daughter, Adenike, wouldn't remember her. The baby was crying when Erin arrived home, and Erin sat down to hold her. Adenike stopped fussing and gazed up at Erin.
For the next year, Erin did more physical, occupational and speech therapy and saw a psychiatrist. Eventually, she moved to a three-point cane, then one-point. Progress has come more slowly for her speech and reading. That's especially difficult for Erin, who has a master's degree in communications and was a self-professed "born talker."
Erin started an Instagram page β Stroke.Mama β to record her progress and share her story. The writing and editing β and reading and responding to comments β stimulated her brain.
"I thought maybe I could help a stroke survivor or TBI (traumatic brain injury) survivor through my story of healing and recovery," she said. "If I inspire or push one person, that is all I want."
Throughout it all, Erin kept her upbeat attitude. "I am naturally a happy person and a jovial person," she said. "I grieved, but I still maintain my happiness."
It's a message, among others, that Erin imparts to her social media followers. "I thought I was too young to have a stroke until I had a stroke," she said. "I want my followers to know stroke can affect anyone. And to know the signs."
Remember F.A.S.T. -- Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to call 911.
Read Erin's Story From the Heart: http://spr.ly/6184NZJvs