Suzie Reid suffers from a stroke after being too stressed

Terrifying reason this fit and health young woman suffered a stroke at just 33 years old – and it’s something every worker needs to know: ‘My body attacked itself’

• Suzie Reid had a stroke ‘out of the blue’ on June 16, 2022 
• Doctors believe it was her body reacting from being ‘too stressed’

Suzie Reid was in the middle of one of her standard weekly workouts when she ‘felt strange out of nowhere’. 

The 34-year-old from the Central Coast, New South Wales, sat out for the remainder of the gym class and thought she would shake it off. 

But when she got back to the car the left side of her face felt ‘completely numb.’

Speaking to FEMAIL, Suzie said she didn’t realise it at the time – but she was having a stroke from a blood clot in her brain.

The young disability support worker says doctors determined the drastic incident occurred because she was ‘too stressed’ up to 12 months prior to the incident. 

‘My body was attacking itself,’ she recalled.

Suzie Reid suffered from a stroke during a workout. After working closely with doctors it was confirmed this occurred because she was ‘too stressed’ for the 12 months prior (pictured now)

Speaking to FEMAIL, Suzie said she didn’t realise it at the time but she was having a stroke from a blood clot in her brain (pictured days before stroke) 

‘I called my partner but as I was talking my speech started to sound really slow and droopy. I started dribbling, my eyes went completely black and it was like everything was moving in slow motion,’ Suzie said (pictured in the ambulance)

‘I called my partner but as I was talking my speech started to sound really slow and droopy. I started dribbling, my eyes went completely black and it was like everything was moving in slow motion,’ Suzie said. 

At that point Suzie’s fiancé knew something was horribly wrong and an ambulance was called. By the time they arrived her speech had ‘completely gone’.

‘As I hopped out of the car to get into the ambulance my whole left leg had given way. It was completely dead and I was dragging it along the ground,’ she said. 

‘Trying to explain to doctors what happened was frustrating because I couldn’t talk. They did some tests and that’s when I realised my whole left side had just given up – it felt like stone.’

Suzie spent a couple of nights in hospital before doctors could determined what was happening to her body. 

She had a CT scan which confirmed a tiny blood vessel in her brain was blocked, causing the stroke. 

‘The doors of the stroke unit opened and it was, honestly, the smell of death. I was like “what is happening? Why am I here?” I got put in a room with three elderly gentleman (who were patients) and I couldn’t comprehend it all,’ she said. 

‘I didn’t actually tell my family what had happened for two days because I didn’t want to worry them.’ 

Suzie didn’t require surgery but was put on blood thinners. She remained in hospital for a week before starting rehabilitation and was in a wheelchair for six weeks. 

Following the traumatic incident, Suzie’s left side remained paralysed for three months which she says was the ‘worst thing’.

She also had to learn how to walk again all before venturing on an overseas trip.

After backtracking six to 12 months, doctors concluded the cause of the stroke was because of stress Suzie had been under – implying this can happen to anyone (pictured with her now-fiancé Reece)

Following the traumatic incident, Suzie’s left side remained paralysed for three months which she says was the ‘worst thing’. Thankfully she has regained her strength and mobility, but now is cautious about her lifestyle to avoid having further health implications (pictured six weeks post stroke)

Suzie’s story at a glance:

Childhood: Suzie as an ‘all rounder child athlete’ and hoped to one day make it to the Olympics. She was training in high jump 

Age 13: diagnosed with permanent rheumatoid arthritis – a life-long illness that ‘eats away at the body from the inside out’, destroying ‘every muscle’

Her dreams of ever making it to the Olympics is shattered

Teenage years: in and out of hospital due to the illness that often left her bedridden  

2016: Suzie ‘tore open her oesophagus’ while in the UK 

She was also impacted by a number of health issues, such as bowel disease and kidney stones

2021: Suzie and her partner of seven years broke up, her home got broken into twice, Covid lockdowns were in full force and she also had kidney stones

The constant extreme stress was building up and up  

2022: Suzie has sudden stroke due to blood clot in brain, which doctors say was caused by stress

Suzie explained she has a history of medical issues, and she’s felt like she was on her deathbed before. 

But despite this, doctors found no correlation to the stroke and her past health problems. 

Instead after backtracking six to 12 months, doctors concluded the cause of the stroke was because of stress Suzie had been under – implying this can happen to anyone. 

Suzie said she always puts others before herself and is constantly run off her feet, but enjoys the busy lifestyle. Though this is what led to her downfall. 

One year prior she was experiencing extreme levels of stress. 

She and her partner of seven years broke up, her home got broken into twice, Covid lockdowns were in full force and she also had kidney stones.

‘It was the most horrendous thing – one bad thing after the other was happening,’ she said. 

At the time she was also caring for a family member who’s disabled. 

‘It was almost like I was the last one I actually cared for,’ she explained.

Everything was just building up and up and up.

‘Doctors said the amount of women in their 30s having strokes these days is through the roof that you wouldn’t even believe it,’ she explained.

‘And it’s because women deal with so much that the stress is building up in the background.’ 

Thankfully she has regained her strength and mobility, but now is cautious about her lifestyle to avoid having further health implications.

Suzie spent a couple nights in emergency before doctors could determined what was happening to her body. She had a CT scan and confirmed a tiny blood vessel in her brain was blocked, causing the stroke

Can stress cause a stroke? 

Stress can cause the heart to work harder, increase blood pressure, and increase sugar and fat levels in the blood. 

These things, in turn, can increase the risk of clots forming and travelling to the heart or brain, causing a heart attack or stroke.

As well, if you feel stressed, it can be hard to lead a healthy lifestyle. Instead of using exercise to relieve stress you might overeat, eat unhealthy foods, drink too much alcohol or smoke. 

These behaviours, in turn, can increase your risk of developing heart disease and stroke. 

Source: Heart and Stroke 

The traumatic sequence of events is in drastic contrast to when Suzie was younger.

As a child she always hoped to make it to the Olympics one day and was an ‘all rounder athlete’. She was at the top of her game and trained in high jump. 

But her dream came crashing down at age 13 after being diagnosed with permanent rheumatoid arthritis. 

As a child (pictured at 13) she always hoped to make it to the Olympics one day and was an ‘all rounder athlete’

She described the life-long condition as a type of disease that ‘eats away at the body from the inside out’, destroying ‘every muscle’. This meant her strength and fitness would be impacted. 

‘At first I had this pain in my arm but everyone thought it was growing pains. I suffered for nearly a year then I was diagnosed and was barely at school because it was so bad,’ she recalled. 

For two years she was in and out of hospital often requiring a wheelchair to get around and the treatment used caused hair loss.

‘Now a lot of body now is deteriorated – my hands look like skeleton fingers and I have kidney stone disease,’ Suzie said. 

‘It took nearly 15 years to come to terms with it and the fact that I won’t be going to the Olympics.’

She also had a number of ‘near death experiences’ from a number of medical problems, including kidney stones, infections and being told she’s septic. 

In 2016 Suzie ‘tore open her oesophagus’ when her chest started ‘producing too much air bubbles’ that expanded in her throat causing the tear. At the time she was in the UK and remained in hospital for three weeks.

‘I feel like I’m born to have most incredible life, and travelling is part of that. I worked so hard an athlete but that dream was taken away so young,’ she said. 

‘I’m not going to sit back and let this get me down. I’m going to live the life I want to live.’

What are the symptoms of a stroke? 

In a stroke, parts of the brain do not get the blood supply and oxygen they need, so brain cells and tissues become damaged and start to die

The body parts that are controlled by the damaged areas of the brain will be affected and show signs of stroke

The most common signs and symptoms of stroke are: facial weakness, arm weakness, difficulty with speech

Other symptoms of stroke that may occur include: weakness, numbness or paralysis of the face, arm, or leg on either or both sides of the body, slurred speech or difficulty understanding, loss of vision in one or both eyes, sudden, severe headache or a change in pattern of headaches with no known cause, loss of balance, dizziness

The signs and symptoms of stroke may occur alone or in combination. These can last a few seconds or even up to 24 hours and then disappear.

Recognising stroke

An easy way to recognise and remember the signs of stroke is to use the FAST test. If someone is showing these symptoms, immediately seek emergency medical treatment.

Face: Check whether their facial features, such as their mouth, have drooped.

Arms: Can they lift both arms?

Speech: Are they having difficulty speaking, eg, slurring their speech? Can they understand you?

Time: Time is critical if you see any of the above signs. Call emergency services immediately

SOURCE: Stroke Foundation

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