Why more women are being diagnosed with stroke
The article shares the personal story of Hellen Wahonya, who suffered an ischaemic stroke despite having no traditional risk factors like smoking or poor diet. It highlights the growing concern regarding stroke diagnoses in women and the challenges of recovery.
Why it matters
Raising awareness about non-traditional stroke risk factors is vital for early detection and improving health outcomes for women.
One afternoon in September 2022, Hellen Wahonya and her husband, Sam Okello, had just returned from a meeting when she suddenly blacked out.
In her book, My Stroke Attack, published in 2022, Hellen describes what happened next in unsettling detail.
“My eyes were bulging, frozen in the state of a glazed stare. My hands were limp. My mouth was misaligned, and I was frothing,” she writes.
Her husband assessed her and concluded that she had suffered a stroke. She was rushed to hospital, where doctors began trying to establish what had happened. They asked about her medical history and lifestyle. Hellen had no history of diabetes or depression. She did not drink alcohol or smoke, and she did not eat red meat. In fact, she was a vegetarian.
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