If you’re a regular reader on the Aud Blog, you’d know that I like to use this as a platform to share some of my cherished travel stories.
Like about eating a baguette and drinking a bottle of wine underneath the Eiffel tower, or stopping to pet Icelandic horses while road tripping around Iceland, or people watching in the Red Light District in Amsterdam.
This is another travel story, however with less pictures and a bigger plot twist. A story that I’m still trying to wrap my mind around. A story, just like the others, that I’ll never forget but happy to have it in writing and to share with my friends and family as a form of expression.
I’ll continue to either entertain or bore you, but there will be some education worth reading in the end that you could use towards saving someone’s life whether that be a complete stranger or a dear loved one…
Our trip started out just like most trips do- being mentally, physically and emotionally ready for a get-a-way. We were ready to be reunited with family we hadn’t seen in years, hungry for a delicious thanksgiving meal prepared by a famous cook within the family and eager to explore the Big Apple for a couple days.
Little did we know, God had a bit of a different plan for us. We’d soon be looking at life through a very different perspective and develop gratitude on a level we didn’t know was possible. And believe it or not, I’d be a better believer, daughter and nurse in the end.
It all started on one of the busiest travel days of the year, the day before Thanksgiving. Our flight from STL to Chicago was short but seemed much, much longer due to the extreme amount of turbulence. Somehow, we landed safely in Chicago where we would then board our final plane to Providence, RI. 
Once in Providence, my Uncle picked us up at the airport and we drove to his home in Connecticut. We had a great dinner that evening, a popular meal within our family- stuffed cabbage.
Unfortunately, later that night Dad suffered symptoms from having caught the stomach flu. Therefore he was still sick on Thanksgiving and couldn’t eat a bite of the wonderful dinner.
The next day, I caught what Dad had. I was miserable and we ended the day with a visit to urgent care to obtain some prescribed nausea medication. We were debating whether or not to cancel our trip to NYC and fly home the next day instead. Turns out, prices to do so were very expensive and would have resulted in a long layover somewhere. So we toughed it out and hopped on a train to NYC the next morning. (Thank you Uncle Andy, Aunt CJ and John for the hospitality and putting up with us being miserably sick. Oh and sorry that we contaminated you all as well.. turns out the stomach flu is highly contagious.)
After a short drive then a hour and a half train ride, we arrived in NYC on Saturday midday. A couple friends met up with us at the train station and we went to grab a bite to eat. After all, it was dads first day feeling better and his first time eating in over 48 hours. I was still a little nauseated but tried a little chicken noodle soup anyways. We walked around a bit and saw a brand new shopping mall in NYC called Hudson Yards. I still wasn’t feeling the greatest so I went and checked into the hotel and rested for a bit. Dad continued to walk around on his own.
A few hours later, Dad made it back to the hotel. I was rested and we both felt like we could finally eat something. We ordered some nearby Italian food for delivery.
Following dinner, at approximately 1815 on Saturday November 30th, I’ll never forget what my eyes saw. My Dad came out of the bathroom with a significant left sided facial droop and had severe slurred speech. (And later finding out a loss of peripheral vision in the left eye) I definitely cursed out loud, checked the time, did a quick neuro assessment on him and said “we gotta go to the ER, now!” Dad was hesitant but I demanded he put his shoes on and we go ASAP. I asked the lady at the front desk of our hotel where the nearest ER and stroke center hospital was and I immediately ordered an Uber there. (Wouldn’t recommend this part at home, necessarily. But who knows how much an ambulance ride would’ve costed or which hospital they would’ve taken us to.)
The situation was blurry, as I was trying to understand why this was happening. My Dad, my hero, the person I’ve looked to for any sort of guidance or direction in my life was having a stroke. Anyone who knows my dad, knows that he’s very active and healthy especially for his age. He also didn’t have a lot of risk factors for a stroke compared to a lot of people. So it was hard for me to puzzle together.
Once we arrived, about 20 minutes after the onset of symptoms, I explained to the triage nurse that my dad is having a stroke. They got his info, took a look at him and called a code stroke overhead. A neurologist was assessing him within 5 minutes of us walking through the door. He was in a CT scan 5 minutes after that. They admitted him to determine the cause of the stroke.
A few hours later, he was in a bed on the neuro intermediate care unit. As it turned out, we were in the best hospital in NYC and one of the top hospitals in the nation.
Despite the unfortunate event, we couldn’t have been in a better place. The timing of when and where it all happened couldn’t have been any more perfect. Dad could’ve been still strolling through NYC on his own, we could’ve been sitting on an airplane or in an airport during a long layover, dad could’ve been home alone or driving.. the list of possibilities could go on. But the fact it happened right exactly where and when it did was a true blessing in itself.
The care that my Dad received over the next 2 days was unforgettable. The doctors were determined to find the cause of Dad’s stroke. Unfortunately they didn’t find the cause, putting dad into the 25% of stroke victims in which the cause of the stroke is unknown. But what we do know is that Dad should be back to normal with time.
As a nurse and health care provider, it was absolutely terrifying being on the end of receiving care. I couldn’t really function professionally and seeing my Dad on the ER stretcher then in the hospital bed was by far the scariest situation in my life. Not knowing answers, test results or if he’d ever be back to normal made me sick to my stomach. I can now empathize with my patients on a whole new level.
Dad was released Monday afternoon, just in time for us to make the most of the rest of our time in the city. He was improving and feeling better a little each day. He felt up for a broadway show, so we saw Phantom of the Opera and walked around a bit on Times Square.
The next day was the first time we saw the sun and blue sky in a couple of days; It had never looked better in my life. We headed to Central Park as Dad wanted to see John Lennon’s memorial, so darn it we made that happen! 
Not every person that suffers from a stroke has an ending to their story quite like we did. Dad and I have so much to be thankful for, especially for the fact that Dad doesn’t have any significant deficits and is still with us even though he had a large stroke. We’ll be looking at life through a much different perspective now.
Never take anything or anyone for granted and know that no one is guaranteed anything tomorrow.
A big thank you to all of our friends and family for the thoughts, prayers and that reached out to us to check in on how Dad was doing. We may have been 1000 miles away from home, but everyone’s support made the experience much more comforting.
If you yourself or see someone experiencing a stroke it is a medical emergency and needs to treated right away. Some signs and symptoms may include: facial drooping, slurred speech, difficulty speaking or finding words, vision changes, double vision, blurred vision, sudden numbness or tingling on one or both sides of the body, incoordination, imbalance. If you notice these symptoms, do not wait, call 911 immediately.
Jeremiah 29:11
Proverbs 3:5-6
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