It Was a Great Fourth of July

The Rinehart family had a great 4th of July, 2008. A beautiful summer day, Ty Rinehart played golf with friends in the morning. That evening they attended a party and fireworks display on the other side of their Westfield neighborhood. Then they returned home to their cul-de-sac to celebrate with neighbors in one of their driveways. Ty says they shared a few bottles of wine and a lot of laughs. He remembers hearing his wife, Becky, laughing harder that he had heard in a long time. “She was in a great mood,” he said. Ty and Becky headed inside with the kids about midnight. He said, “We had a great 4th of July.”

Ty awoke about 4:30 a.m. on July 5th. Becky was still sleeping seemed restless. He got up and went to the couch to watch TV. The kids, son Dylan age 7 and daughter Jenna age 4, got up about 8:30. Ty checked on Becky. She was groggy. He thought maybe she had a little more wine than he realized last night and decided to let her sleep. At 10:00 a.m. he tried to wake her but she didn’t respond. She could open her eyes but that was all. Ty knew something wasn’t right and called 9-1-1. Forty-one year-old Becky Rinehart, wife and mother of two young children and research nurse at Eli Lilly & Co., had suffered a stroke.

Women & Stroke
425,000 women suffer from stroke each year, 55,000 more than men. Stroke is a “brain attack” and one form of cardiovascular disease. Many strokes happen when arteries are blocked by blood clots or the build-up of plaque and other fatty deposits. Some strokes are caused by arteries rupturing when weak spots in a blood vessel break. On average, someone dies every four minutes of a stroke in the U.S.

More than one in three females has some form of cardiovascular disease. Ten times as many women die from cardiovascular disease than die from breast cancer. It is estimated that 4.2 million female stroke survivors are alive today. Risk factors for stroke include family history of stroke, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, diabetes, being overweight and lack of exercise. According to the National Stroke Association, other risks that are unique to women are taking birth control pills, being pregnant, using hormone replacement therapy, having a thick waist and high triglyceride level and being a migraine headache sufferer.

Becky’s Stroke
Becky was taken to the hospital by ambulance. After examining her and performing some tests, the emergency room physician gathered Ty along with Becky’s family in her room. Ty recalls he said, “I am sorry to tell you that she has suffered a significant stroke due to a blood clot on the left side of her brain. At this point there is nothing we can do. If we had gotten to her within three hours of the clot, we could have removed it. If we had gotten to her within six hours, we could have minimized the damage. The neurologist is on his way, but honestly, we have done all that can be done.”
Becky was admitted to the ICU, paralyzed on her right side and unable to speak.

 Becky had no obvious risk factors. She was an avid runner, in good physical condition (5’7” and 120 lbs.) and had no family history. Becky’s doctors determined that her stroke most likely resulted from a Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO), a congenital defect in her heart that allowed a blood clot to make its way to her brain.  An estimated 20 percent of the population has a PFO and are most likely unaware.

Stroke Symptoms
Common stroke symptoms include sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg; sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance and coordination; and sudden severe headache with no known cause. Women sometimes report unique stroke symptoms: sudden face and limb pain, sudden hiccups, sudden nausea, sudden general weakness, sudden chest pain, sudden shortness of breath or sudden heart palpitations. If you or someone you are with has any of these symptoms, call 9-1-1 immediately. Two million brain cells die every minute during a stroke so act quickly.

Stroke Prevention
Everyone one has some stroke risk. Some, like age and family history, are beyond your control. But there are things you can do to reduce your risk. Here are some suggestions:
1. Know your blood pressure. Have it checked at least once and year and work with your doctor if it is elevated to keep it under control. High blood pressure is a leading cause of stroke.
2. If you smoke, stop. Smoking doubles your risk for stroke.
3. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation.
4. Know your cholesterol number. If it is high, work with your doctor to reduce it by changing your diet, increasing your activity level and/or taking medication.
5. Control your diabetes. Diabetes puts you at increased risk for stroke so keep it under control. If you suffer from pre-diabetes, see a physician immediately.
6. Move. Make exercise part of your daily routine. Thirty minutes a day can improve your health in lots of ways.
7. Follow a low salt, low fat diet to lower blood pressure and stroke risk.

Becky’s Recovery
After about two weeks in the hospital Becky was moved to a rehab facility for another two weeks. Then it was home with outpatient physical and speech therapy. Three years after her stroke, Becky has limited use of her right hand. Her speech is limited to a few dozen words and phrases and she has some difficulty comprehending verbal communication. She is on long term disability from Eli Lilly & Co. 

Becky is able to communicate with family and friends using technology like text messaging and email. She travels to IU Bloomington one day a week for speech therapy and recently participated in a drug/therapy trial at the Center for Aphasia Research and Treatment at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. 

This interview was conducted via email; mostly with Ty Rinehart. In something he wrote during Becky’s hospitalization, Ty described his wife as “beautiful, smart, sexy and a wonderful mother”. He also wrote that she is “the definition of spunk.” As a result of all they have been through, Becky and Ty have a new family motto:

No matter how bad a day we may think we are having,
No matter how mad, frustrated or disappointed we may feel,
It will never, ever be as bad as July 5, 2008.
Every day from that point forward is a fragile and precious gift to be celebrated.
Enjoy the ride.