Tiaira Jackson's Story
January 10, 2021
Stroke is a rare occurrence in the young, and yet stroke can happen to anyone at any time, regardless of age, sex or race. In 2018, 21-year-old Tiaira Jackson suffered a stroke three days after delivering a healthy baby at Holy Cross Hospital.
“It was like I was frozen,” Tiaira remembered. “Suddenly, I couldn’t move or speak.” The stroke team was activated, and imaging tests revealed that Tiaira was, in fact, having a massive stroke — a rare occurrence for someone so young. She was immediately admitted to the Neuro Critical Care Unit.
Because of the team’s quick coordination and stroke expertise, Tiaira received the clot-busting medicine tPA shortly after her symptoms were discovered. Given within a few hours of the onset of symptoms, tPA can improve outcomes for stroke patients.
“Our strength at Holy Cross is that the stroke team works together. The neurologist, physiatrist and stroke nurse practitioner are all in the room, and we work closely with consulting physicians from other specialties as well,” said Natalia Llanes, MD, the neurologist who oversaw Tiaira’s care.
“Everyone is looking at the case from different angles,” said Courtney Ackerman, MD, Hematology, who consulted on Tiaira’s case. “It helps us make sure that we’re covering all the bases.”
After the team saved Tiaira’s life, therapists in the hospital began immediately working on her symptoms and side effects, starting what would be months of hard work and rehabilitation.
“That’s how you build new pathways in the brain to try to compensate for the damage to the brain caused by the stroke. Intensive rehabilitation therapy is so important,” Dr. Llanes said.
At first, Tiaira couldn’t move her right side or communicate. “Rehab was really hard. It was like being a kid all over again,” Tiaira said. “Sometimes, I wanted to give up. But I have a little son, so I kept trying.”
Stroke and Childbirth
“Pregnancy-associated stroke is a dangerous complication that thankfully occurs very rarely, estimated at 34 times per 100,000 births,” said Eric Ashkin, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and president of the Medical and Dental Staff, Holy Cross Hospital. “While hypertension is sometimes an issue in pregnancy, even with well-controlled blood pressures it is difficult to know which patient might be affected by stroke after the baby is delivered.”
Women deliver more than 10,000 babies at Holy Cross Health every year, and the vast majority of those deliveries have no complications. When a rare complication occurs, the experience of the doctors and nurses at Holy Cross can be the difference between getting mom and baby home safely and a less optimal outcome. In this case multiple physicians across different specialties worked quickly to achieve a good result for Tiaira and her family.
“When I recommend that women deliver at Holy Cross Health, it’s in large part because I know there is a lot of support, in the event that anything unforeseen happens,” said Javaka Moore, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology. “I was pleased we were able to coordinate Tiaira’s stroke care so quickly.”
Now 23, Tiaira has regained her physical strength and coordination, but her rehabilitation continues with intensive outpatient speech therapy to improve her speech, cognitive and memory skills. She may never know what caused her stroke, but she’s grateful to Holy Cross and her doctors for the lifesaving care she received.
Nationally Recognized for Stroke Care
- Primary Stroke Center designation for Holy Cross Hospital and Holy Cross Germantown Hospital by the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems
- Advanced Primary Stroke Center designation for Holy Cross Hospital by The Joint Commission
- 2019 Get with the Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for Holy Cross Hospital and Holy Cross Germantown Hospital
- 2019 Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus Award for Holy Cross Hospital and Holy Cross Germantown Hospital from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
A list of the numerous national awards, clinical designations and accreditations that recognize clinical quality across Holy Cross Health is available at HolyCrossHealth.org/awards.