Health
Michigan mom: ‘I had a stroke at 39 — and the warning signs weren’t what you’d expect’
Jenna Gibson was just 39 when she was training for a marathon five years ago — but her plans were cut short by a stroke that almost took her life.
Nearly 60% of stroke deaths occur in women, according to a recent study by Mayo Clinic — and now Gibson, a Michigan mother of two, aims to help others to be more aware and prioritize their health.
“Once I learned that strokes are happening to younger people, I had to share my story,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“In most cases, strokes are preventable if you know what to look for.”
On the day of Gibson’s stroke, she was feeling great.
Jenna Gibson was just 39 years old when she was training for a marathon five years ago — but her plans were cut short by a stroke that nearly took her life. (Jenna Gibson)
It was a beautiful day, she’d nailed a presentation at work, and she was enjoying a walk outside with her mother after dinner.
“We were talking about how I was training for the Detroit marathon for my 40th birthday, and then all of a sudden, out of the blue, it felt like I was hit with a ton of bricks,” she told Fox News Digital.
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Gibson stopped walking, then suddenly fell over into the grass.
Her mother thought she was joking at first. “She actually took a picture of me lying in the grass, saying, ‘C’mon, get up, what are you doing?’”
“They could see there was a blockage on the left side of my brain, and I was actively having a stroke.”
Her mother helped her up, but Gibson couldn’t walk straight.
“I felt like I was drunk — something just wasn’t right,” she said.
Even so, Gibson did not experience any of the textbook symptoms of a stroke, such as the facial droop, severe headache or vision disturbances.
When Gibson first fell onto the grass, her mother thought she was joking — and snapped this picture. As it turned out, Gibson was in the early stages of having a stroke. (Jenna Gibson)
They made it back home, where Gibson assumed she was having a migraine. She took some headache medicine and went to bed.
“A couple of hours later, I woke up and still didn’t feel right — I couldn’t get out of bed, I couldn’t move,” she recalled.
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That’s when they headed to the emergency room. Gibson’s mother told the medical team that her daughter was having trouble walking and might be having a stroke.
“They checked me over, did all the tests, and didn’t see the typical signs that they would be looking for,” Gibson said. “Part of it was because I was young.”
“I could walk, although not very well. I could get some words out.”
She added, “I didn’t have the facial droop. I could walk, although not very well. I could get some words out.”
After a CT scan, the medical team decided that Gibson was likely having an optic migraine. The next morning, when she still wasn’t feeling right, the neurologist ordered another scan with contrast — and that time, the stroke finally showed up.
Gibson is pictured with her husband and two daughters, who were ages 8 and 4 at the time of her stroke in 2019. (Jenna Gibson)
“They could see that there was a blockage on the left side of my brain, and I was actively having a stroke,” she said.
Gibson was immediately airlifted to another hospital, where she had emergency brain surgery to remove the blood clot.
“There was obviously a risk of death — if we didn’t move fast enough, the time frame would be over,” she said.
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As she was flown to the hospital, Gibson said she felt certain she was going to die and would never again see her husband or her daughters, who were just 8 and 4 at the time.
“I thought I’d never get to see my children grow up and get married, or that I’d have to live in some kind of vegetative state and would never work again.”
Gibson is pictured with her two daughters in the hospital after her stroke. Her first “assignment” was to tell her daughters that she loved them — and that “Mommy’s going to be OK.” (Jenna Gibson)
“I was thinking, ‘Did I tell my girls enough times that Mommy loves them? Does my husband know how proud I am of him?’”
The next thing she knew, Gibson was waking up from surgery in the ICU — and facing a long road to recovery.
“At first, I couldn’t speak at all. I couldn’t move my right side. I was trapped in my head — I could see what was happening and hear people asking me questions, but I couldn’t answer.”
‘By the grace of God’
Over the next few days, Gibson said her capabilities slowly started coming back.
She received speech therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy — and over time began to regain movement on her right side.
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Her first “assignment” was to tell her daughters that she loved them and that “Mommy’s going to be OK.”
After a couple of weeks, Gibson returned home and continued with outpatient therapy for three hours a day, three days a week for a four-month period.
“It was during the first six weeks that we saw the quickest improvement, and then after that, it was slower and slower,” she said.
“I had to relearn everything. And now, by the grace of God, I can do all the things.”
“I was thinking, ‘Did I tell my girls enough times that Mommy loves them? Does my husband know how proud I am of him?’” Gibson said about her stroke. She is pictured here with her husband and two daughters. (Jenna Gibson)
Today, Gibson is still completely numb on the entire right side of her body. She also still sometimes struggles with finding the right words while speaking, she said, especially when she’s tired or stressed.
“But if you saw me, I look like a normal person,” she said.
And in a full-circle moment, Gibson was finally able to complete the half-marathon last October.
‘Every second counts’
Dr. Annie Tsui, chief of neurology at Access TeleCare, who is based in Texas, emphasized the prevalence of strokes among women and urged awareness.
“Strokes can occur for various reasons across different age groups and genders,” Tsui, who was not involved in Gibson’s care, told Fox News Digital. “Even though strokes can occur at any age, women between the ages of 20 and 39 are at twice the risk compared to men.”
While the primary risk factors for stroke are high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, obesity and diabetes, the causes for strokes in younger age groups differ from those typically associated with older people, Tsui noted.
After her stroke was diagnosed, Gibson was airlifted to another hospital to get emergency brain surgery. (Jenna Gibson)
Those may include cardiac issues, blood clotting disorders, genetic predispositions, vascular abnormalities or trauma.
“Although no one is completely immune to the risk of stroke, individuals at higher risk should work with their doctor to develop a prevention plan,” Tsui advised. “In general, maintaining a healthy lifestyle is crucial, as up to 80% of strokes can be prevented.”
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It’s crucial to be aware of the symptoms to receive treatment as quickly as possible, according to Tsui.
She recommends using the FAST acronym, shown below, as a convenient tool for identifying stroke indicators.
- Face (drooping or numbness)
- Arm (weakness or numbness)
- Speech (slurring or difficulty speaking)
- T for time to call 911
Gibson underwent four months of intensive physical and occupational therapy during her recovery. (Jenna Gibson)
“The chances of survival and positive outcomes are highest when the patient receives prompt medical attention,” Tsui told Fox News Digital.
Some stroke treatments are only effective if administered within three hours of when symptoms begin, she warned — with the risk of permanent brain damage or death rising with each passing minute.
“It’s important to be vigilant in recognizing stroke symptoms and to seek medical assistance immediately at the first sign,” Tsui said.
“Every second counts in reducing the risk of brain injury, permanent disability or even death.”
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Cases of gout are rising in younger individuals, according to a global study.
The condition, which is a type of inflammatory arthritis, steadily increased in people aged 15 to 39 between 1990 and 2021, researchers in China announced.
Although rates vary widely between countries, the total number of young people with the condition is expected to continue rising through 2035.
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The study, published in the journal Joint Bone Spine, investigated 2021 data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD), spanning 204 countries within the 30-year timeframe.
The data measured gout prevalence, incidence and years lived with disability, tracking global trends over time. The results showed a global increase across all three outcomes.
Gout is expected to continue rising in young people through 2035. (iStock)
Prevalence and disability years increased by 66%, and incidence rose by 62%. In 2021, 15- to 39-year-olds accounted for nearly 14% of new gout cases globally, the study found.
Men from 35 to 39 years old and people in high-income regions had the highest burden, but high-income North America topped the list for highest rates.
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Men were also found to have lived more years with gout due to high BMI, while women tended to have the condition as a link to kidney dysfunction, the study noted.
The total number of cases is expected to increase globally due to population growth, but the study projected that rates per population would decrease.
The researchers noted that data quality, especially in low-income settings, could have posed a limitation to the broad GBD data.
What is gout?
Gout is a common form of arthritis involving sudden and severe attacks of pain, swelling, redness and tenderness in the joints, according to Mayo Clinic. It most often occurs in the big toe.
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The condition occurs when urate crystals accumulate in the joint. These form when there are high levels of uric acid in the blood, which the body produces when it breaks down a natural substance called purines.
A gout flare-up can happen at any time, often at night, causing the affected joint to feel hot, swollen, tender and sensitive to the touch.
Urate crystals, described as sharp and needle-like, build up in the joint, causing intense pain and swelling. (iStock)
Purines can also be found in certain foods, like red meat or organ meats like liver and some seafood, including anchovies, sardines, mussels, scallops, trout and tuna, according to the Mayo Clinic. Alcoholic drinks, especially beer, and drinks sweetened with fruit sugar can also lead to higher uric acid levels.
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Uric acid will typically dissolve in the blood and pass through the kidneys into urine, but when the body produces too much or too little uric acid, it can cause a build-up of urate crystals. These are described by the Mayo Clinic as sharp and needle-like, causing pain, inflammation and swelling in the joint or surrounding tissue.
Risk factors for gout include a diet rich in high-purine foods and being overweight, which causes the body to produce more uric acid and the kidneys to have trouble eliminating it.
Experts urge patients to seek medical attention for gout flare-ups. (iStock)
Certain conditions like untreated high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome and heart and kidney diseases can increase the risk of gout, as well as certain medications.
A family history of gout can also increase risk. Men are more likely to develop the condition, as women tend to have lower uric acid levels, although symptoms generally develop after menopause.
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Untreated gout can cause worsening pain and joint damage, experts caution. It may also lead to more severe conditions, such as recurrent gout, advanced gout and kidney stones.
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The Mayo Clinic advises patients to seek immediate medical care if a fever occurs or if a joint becomes hot and inflamed, which is a sign of infection. Certain anti-inflammatory medications can help treat gout flares and complications.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
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A new study suggests that annual mammograms may not be the only effective approach for preventing breast cancer.
The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), tested a risk-based breast cancer screening approach against standard annual mammography.
The WISDOM randomized clinical trial, led by study authors from universities and healthcare systems across the U.S., considered more than 28,000 women aged 40 to 74 years old, splitting them into a risk-based screening group and an annual mammography group.
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Researchers calculated each woman’s individual risk based on genetics (sequencing of nine breast cancer genes) and other health factors.
A new study suggests that annual mammograms may not be the only effective approach for preventing breast cancer. (iStock)
Those who were at the highest risk were advised to alternate between a mammogram and an MRI scan every six months. Patients with elevated risk were told to get an annual mammography and counseling.
Average-risk women were guided to get mammograms every two years, while low-risk individuals were advised to have no screening until they became higher risk or reached age 50.
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The researchers found that risk-based screening did not lead to more advanced cancer diagnoses (stage 2B or higher) compared with annual screening, indicating that it is just as safe as traditional methods. The risk-based approach, however, did not reduce the number of biopsies overall, as researchers had hoped.
Among the risk-based group of women, those with higher risk had more screening, biopsies and detected cancers. Women at lower risk had fewer procedures.
The research, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), tested a risk-based breast cancer screening approach against standard annual mammography. (iStock)
“[The] findings suggest that risk-based breast cancer screening is a safe alternative to annual screening for women aged 40 to 74 years,” the researchers noted in the research summary. “Screening intensity matched individual risk, potentially reducing unnecessary imaging.”
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Fox News medical contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier, associate professor of radiology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New Jersey, commented that while these findings are important, the study “completely sidelines” what screenings are designed to do — detect cancer early.
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“If you don’t measure stage 0, stage 1 or stage 2A cancers, you can’t tell whether personalized screening delays diagnosis in a way that matters for survival and treatment intensity,” Saphier, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital in an interview.
Those who were at the highest risk were advised to alternate between a mammogram and an MRI scan every six months. (iStock)
More than 60% of breast cancers in the U.S. are diagnosed at stage 1 or 2A, where cure rates exceed 90%, the doctor noted.
The trial doesn’t “fully evaluate” whether risk-based screening changes detection at the earliest and most treatable stages, where screening “delivers its greatest benefit,” according to Saphier.
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“Mammography is not without risk — radiation exposure, false positives, anxiety and potential over-diagnosis are real and should be acknowledged,” she said. “But it remains the most effective, evidence-based tool for detecting breast cancer early, when treatment is most successful.”
The expert added that labeling women under 50 as “low risk” is “outdated,” as breast cancer diagnoses are on the rise in younger females.
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“Until long-term mortality data support alternative approaches, annual screening beginning at 40 for average risk women should continue,” Saphier added. “Women should be assessed for breast cancer risk by 25 years old to determine if screening should begin earlier.”
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