A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is disrupted, either by a blocked blood vessel or a rupture that causes bleeding. (Envato Elements pic)PETALING JAYA: One day, she was going about her life. Then, in an instant, everything changed. The hair salon owner, in her early 50s, suffered a major stroke, leaving her unable to speak or respond.
By the time she reached the hospital, the 4.5-hour window for clot-busting medication had passed. Doctors removed the blockage through a mechanical thrombectomy, but she remained critically ill in intensive care, reliant on a feeding tube and a tracheostomy.
Her story is a sobering reminder that a stroke can upend an ordinary life without warning. And according to neurologist Hoo Fan Kee, it is no longer a condition associated only with old age.
