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Women's Cardiovascular Healthcare Foundation
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TESTIMONIALS
Rennes

Françoise

Françoise

"It's August 2022, and I'm living by the sea as I do every summer to enjoy my grandchildren. I go for a swim, as I do every morning, because the sea is calm and azure, and the beach is empty of summer visitors. As I swim, my head suddenly plunges forward, my body out of control. I move in all directions, the seawater invades my whole body, entering through my mouth and nose, and I gradually drown as I sink into the sea.

A windsurfer, who didn't think my behavior was normal, came flat on his board to rescue me and brought me back to the beach in cardiac and respiratory arrest. The stroke left me in a coma for 12 days.

And yet, nothing predisposed me to a stroke: I'd always been a sportswoman, cycling, walking, karate, swimming, eating home-cooked meals and sleeping very well. But according to the doctors, I'm exhausted by my role as caregiver for my husband of 8 years. My accident on August 5, 2022 required me to spend a year and a half in hospital undergoing rehabilitation, and when I returned home, a private physiotherapist specializing in neurological problems took over.

Today, I've regained all my speech, my ability to manage daily life and my passion for writing, although I'm still a hemiplegic. I walk and live almost independently, my right hand having relearned how to do things and act.

At the hospital, the doctor told me that the temperature of the water (18°) had slowed the haemorrhage and that's why I'm alive. Every day is a gift and I'm happy in my new life, which brings me all these moments of small happiness and encourages me to keep fighting, to keep moving forward, to take on new challenges."

 
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Katherine, 52 ans

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About 6 years ago, as I often do when I go for a run with my dog Puglia, I feel a pain in my left elbow which, as I run, radiates down to my wrist and fingertips. It then manifests itself every time I go for a run, right from the start, lasts just a few minutes and then disappears. I get into the [...]

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Sendra, 56 years old

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Eight years ago, I suffered a stroke. I think it's fair to say that, at the time, I was in a vulnerable health situation. Gradually, I came to understand and accept that what had happened to me was a form of burn-out. The hectic pace and tension I was under prevented me from listening to those [...]

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