No one ever expects to have a stroke, yet 1 in 4 people over the age of 25 will experience a stroke in their lifetime. For kids, though, they’re far less common. Cari Dennany never would have anticipated the call she’d get on November 14 while her 8-year-old daughter, Amelia Dennany, was on a school field trip with Bauerwood Elementary School in Jenison, Michigan.
“Her teacher called me, and she said, ‘Amelia fell down,’” Cari recalled.
When the teacher explained that they couldn’t get Amelia to stand or sit up, she knew it was serious.
Spotting Stroke in Kids: How to Recognize a Stroke in Children
Cari immediately stopped her errands and started driving to her daughter. Amelia’s teacher, Christy Tease, kept Cari on speakerphone so she could talk to the paramedics. When Cari arrived, Amelia’s teacher warned her that the sight of her daughter might be scary. The child’s speech was slurred, her face was drooping and she was confused. Cari rode with her in the ambulance to Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in Grand Rapids, where it was discovered that the second grader had experienced a stroke.
tPA Treatment for Ischemic Stroke in Children
There are two kinds of strokes. An ischemic stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is cut off, while a hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel ruptures and begins to bleed into the brain.
Some ischemic strokes can be treated with medication called tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA. The “clot-busting” drug must be used within hours of symptom onset. It works by dissolving the blood clot, allowing oxygen to return to the brain.
“Amelia was the first pediatric case we ever provided this medication (at Helen DeVos). Not because we don’t see these patients, but they usually don’t come in time,” said George Lara Collado, MD, at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.
How Common is Stroke in Children?
Although strokes are less common in children, they’re still a top 10 cause of death in pediatrics.
“We’re talking about one case per 100,000 children or one per 2,000-4,000 newborns,” George said, adding that early symptom recognition makes all the difference.
Amelia’s care team said early recognition from the child’s teacher was key in both her treatment and recovery.
Christy Tease told FOX 17 that her decision to call 911 was instinctual.
“I think a lot of the staff members at Bauerwood would have acted in the same way. Especially in lower elementary, you wrap around kids; you love them before you educate them,” Tease said.
“When we pushed the tPA, within three minutes [Amelia’s] legs started to move. I think we all sort of gasped at the bed side in the emergency department,” said Caroline Rich, pediatric neurology nurse practitioner at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.
She said stroke symptoms are often missed in children, eliminating tPA as an option.
The Role of Therapy in Stroke Recovery
Mary Free Bed’s Stroke Rehabilitation Program focuses on maximizing independence through a holistic approach that addresses physical, emotional and psychological needs. Therapists work with patients to help them regain as much independence as possible while finding ways to successfully adapt to challenges.
After being discharged from Helen DeVos, Amelia was admitted to the Mary Free Bed Kids Inpatient Program, where she spent several weeks working on physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech.
When Amelia first came to Mary Free Bed Kids, she had apraxia of speech, a motor-speech impairment that’s common in people who have experienced a stroke.
“The area of your brain that tells your speech muscles to move in this certain coordinated way—that connection was severed,” explained Mary Free Bed speech-language pathologist Grace Kropiewnicki.
Speech, Swallowing and Communication Challenges After Stroke
Speech therapy is much more than talking. Following a stroke, patients can present with slurred speech, voice changes, raspiness or a weak vocal quality. It’s also possible for the area of the brain that controls language to be impacted, making it difficult to find the right words. Pronunciation can also be affected.
Following a stroke, people can also struggle with language comprehension. They may find it challenging to answer questions or follow commands.
“Another thing we work on is swallowing, eating and drinking. Post-stroke, you can have difficulties with eating normal foods.” Grace explained that after a stroke, the swallowing muscles can weaken. Part of physical therapy during stroke rehabilitation includes working to strengthen the throat and swallowing muscles.
Amelia started off with a modified diet, but she progressed quickly. That’s when speech-language pathologists shifted focus to her speech.
“She was embarrassed. She didn’t know what was happening and was scared to speak,” Grace recalled. “This is an 8-year-old girl. It can be scary to have your speech not sound like yourself, your voice not sound like yourself. It was important for us to take time to talk about that.”
Amelia’s care team, including her physical therapists, guided her toward learning to trust her body again.
“We worked on: What does it look like to do some walking? What does it look like to do some stuff on only the affected side?” said Mary Free Bed pediatric therapy resident Matthew Moraw.
Matthew worked with Amelia throughout her inpatient stay and continues to work with her in outpatient therapy. He’s seen firsthand the tremendous progress she’s made.
“[In outpatient] we’re doing a lot of single-leg standing and coming up from her knees to standing. All the stuff that wasn’t even possible right when she came in,” Matthew said.
Celebrating Progress in Stroke Rehabilitation
Stroke rehabilitation is unique because it looks different for everyone. No two goals are alike. Mary Free Bed works to tailor stroke recovery to individual goals across multiple therapeutic disciplines.
The synergy within Mary Free Bed’s teams, Matthew said, only enhances the recovery journey.
“It’s really easy to see how different the atmosphere is here,” he reflected. “It’s so evident—the immediate and all-encompassing level of collaboration that’s part of the team.”
Amelia’s historic treatment and remarkable progress highlight the life-saving impact of B.E. F.A.S.T and the transformative power of expert care. Her journey proves that even the smallest steps forward are worth celebrating.
About Stroke Rehabilitation at Mary Free Bed
Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital offers one of the top stroke recovery programs in Michigan for both kids and adults. As a destination for inpatient pediatric rehabilitation, our comprehensive stroke program provides intensive therapy, advanced technology and expert care from a specialized team focused on helping each patient regain independence. With outcomes that exceed national benchmarks and satisfaction rates in the 94th percentile, Mary Free Bed delivers a proven path forward for survivors and their families. At Mary Free Bed, comeback stories like Amelia’s happen every day.
Learn more about stroke recovery at Mary Free Bed.
