Life After Stroke: A Stroke Survivor Tells Her Story

Surviving a stroke often means it’s hard to do things that once came easily: speak, use stairs or take a shower. Read on as one stroke survivor shares her story of recovery and life after stroke…

At age 61, Joyce Hoffman was healthy, upbeat, hard-working and in good physical condition. That all changed one spring day in 2009. “It was a pleasant evening in April and I’d just returned home from work,” Hoffman says. “I never got headaches, but that day I had an increasingly bad one that continued for five hours.” She took some over-the-counter pain medication and fell asleep. But her headache wasn’t just garden-variety. It was a red flag – a sign that Hoffman was having a stroke. When Hoffman had convulsions in the middle of the night, her significant other immediately called 911. His quick action saved her life, her doctors later said. Still, eight days passed before Hoffman woke from a coma. She spent 24 days in the hospital, followed by another 12 weeks in two rehab centers.