Renee's Story: Stroke

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When 33-year-old, high-energy mother Renee Young became ill with the flu in November 2007, she never would have believed that she was about to suffer a stroke. But that is exactly what happened. As she tried to swallow medication and couldn’t, she realized something was drastically wrong. After two missed diagnoses, she was put in the hands of the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Stroke team and the University of Cincinnati Neuroscience Institute (UCNI) at University Hospital. Stroke Team physicians immediately recognized her condition and admitted her to the neuroscience intensive care unit. Thankfully, she recovered and was discharged seven days later. But that’s when the real work began. Renee began the slow process of recovering full mobility in her left side and learning to swallow and use her paralyzed vocal cord again. Her voice had become breathy and much lower. Thanks to rehabilitation and innovative treatment of her damaged vocal cord by Dr. Lee Zimmer, an otolaryngologist with the UC Neuroscience Institute, Renee has almost completely recovered and is back to life with her family.

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Hope Story Disclaimer – This story describes an individual patient’s experience.
Because every person is unique, individual patients may respond to treatment in different ways. Outcomes are influenced by many factors and may vary from patient to patient.

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