It was the end of another busy work day like any other for Â鶹AV lawyer Jennifer Monaghan back in 2012.
She had returned home in the evening after taking her daughter to an extra-curricular activity and went to speak with her husband.
And in that moment, her life changed forever.
The 43-year-old became a sudden victim of a stroke.
"Initially I thought it was weird, I could not speak so I thought something was wrong with my voice box," Monaghan recalled.
"But my husband took one look at me and realized right away I was having a stroke, and I was lucky that he did."
Because with a stroke, every second counts between when a stroke occurs and a person can be treated with clot-busting drugs at the hospital.
As Monaghan has since learned in her recovery journey, during a stroke brain cells die at a rapid rate each minute and do not recover.
"So knowing the symptoms and acting quickly to get treatment is important," she noted.
To that end, Monaghan has dedicated her time to enhancing public education about heart and stroke disease by telling her story and volunteering her time to help promote the cause of stroke research and public awareness.
That was the advice of her neurologist that she followed, as her career as a lawyer had come to an end.
"He knew I was a lawyer before my stroke and had no plans to go back to work, I had young kids at home and he knew I would be valuable as a volunteer as I was looking for something to do," she recounted.
That decision came about nine months into her recovery and rehabilitation efforts and thinking to herself about what comes next.
Monaghan is drawing attention to her story now because June is Heart & Stroke Month across Canada, a campaign to help Canadians better understand what a stroke is, take steps to prevent it, recognize the signs and know what to do.
More than 108,000 strokes occur every year in Canada - roughly one every five minutes - and recent data from the Heart & Stroke Foundation reveals strokes are happening more often, in particular to women and to younger people in previously unexpected ways.
While Monaghan's story is a testament to surviving a stroke and the symptoms it leaves behind, she says the public education factor is lacking, which has led her to be a volunteer champion for the cause.
She advocates for more research to be done, to listen to the stories of stroke patients, to realize the problem is becoming more widespread and to seek out funders to pay the research costs.
After Monoghan was admitted to KGH, she remained in hospital for a month, working both to regain the use of her right side and recover her speech.
"I was quite calm when my husband took me to the hospital. I felt I was being taken to the right place but I had no idea what a stroke actually was, and no clue what was ahead of me," she said.
"I was taken to the ER, there was a neurologist on-call to treat me and I had great treatment. My frustration began to set in after about four days as up to then I did not understand what was going on.
"I wasn't initially concerned about it but my brain was quite foggy throughout the first few days I just felt I was in the right place and everything would return to normal.
"It was at that point I began to really understand what had happened and the long road of recovery that was ahead of me."
For Monaghan, the proverbial 'Why me?' question came up, as she was a healthy, active 43-year-old mother.
"There is a growing percentage of young women with stories similar to mine across Canada and we need to do more research about why this is happening.
"The priority of research tends to be focused on men, about two-thirds of it, and I don't think that is good enough and would like to see that change."
After a month in the hospital learning how to walk again, Monaghan embarked on working with a speech therapist to revive her ability to speak.
It was also determined that Monaghan's stroke was caused by a previously undiagnosed heart condition.
"The risks are related but the symptoms are different," said Monoghan, noting that a stroke is an attack on the brain and the other is an attack on the heart.
"I didn't know my heart condition existed when my stroke happened. It was only discovered when I was in the hospital because of my stroke."
So besides her post-stroke health issues, Monaghan was also put on medication to address the issues concerning her heart health.
"I'm on lots of medications for my heart condition and I keep being as active as I can and keep eating healthy and do all the right things to maintain my health," she said.
"The cognitive impairments of recovering from a stroke are really frustrating to deal with as are the physical aspects, as you go from being active and capable one point and suddenly you are not.
"Getting used to that new normal is not an easy thing to do."
Monaghan said the rehab assistance was positive during her hospital stay, but once she was discharged she was on her own to figure out how to move forward in her life.
"I was lucky I lived in Â鶹AV and knew of a speech therapist and had the funds to pay privately. But to be on your own, there are support groups to help people with speech impairment but that is not enough.
"Our governments need to reaccess and improve neuro rehab services across Canada, and especially in B.C.
"Not all people can afford to hire a speech therapist, and it is worse for people who live in rural areas and do not have access to that kind of rehabilitation services."
Altogether, Monaghan said it took 12 months for her "new normal," which was aided by her close-knit group of friends and her family.
"I still have difficulty doing new things with my right side. Instead of taking a dozen attempts to figure something out, now it takes me 30."
Whether it is working on her golf swing or a new exercise in a pilates class, Monaghan said learning new or really old movements she has forgotten, she has to learn very slowly and focus on what her right side is trying to do.
"It just takes more tries to begin to feel like I am doing something right. As I continue doing it my body is able to adjust...just the relearning (process) takes longer...but I have accepted that is just the way it is. It is my new normal.
"It has made me more appreciative of what I can do a lot more...as the cliche says I try to live every day to the fullest and I find volunteering is a wonderful way to help improve the pathway for the next stroke victim survivor.
"I don't miss being a lawyer. This (volunteering) is far more fun and something I feel is worth doing to help others."
For her efforts, Monaghan was recently presented with a King Charles Commemorative Medal, and her friends in Â鶹AV planned to throw her a formal tea party to celebrate her medal, her journey and the awareness it has brought to all of them about stroke and health awareness.
