Young stroke survivors say ‘listen to your body’ this National Stroke Month

May 23, 2025 - 21:25

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Young stroke survivors say ‘listen to your body’ this National Stroke Month

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- May marks National Stroke Month, a crucial time to raise awareness about a medical emergency that can strike anyone, at any age.

While often associated with older individuals, stroke is a leading cause of death for women. 8News spoke with two local survivors whose powerful stories underscore the importance of listening to your body.

Holly Furlong, a stroke survivor (Photo: Madison Moore, 8News)

Holly and Madison (Photo: Madison Moore, 8News)

"It wasn't something that I thought would happen to me, especially at my age," said Holly Furlong, an active 45-year-old.

For Furlong, October 18, 2024, started like any other day. After work and errands, as she was driving, she suddenly experienced trouble breathing.

"I just started to feel chest tightness, and then tingling down my arm, and then my arm kind of just started to kind of do this naturally," Furlong recalled.

Her symptoms rapidly worsened.

"I couldn't even at that point pick up my left leg," Furlong said. “By the time I got to the E.R., I was really not able to form sentences. The biggest thing was they kept asking me my name, and I couldn't say my name.”

Thankfully, Holly received treatment just in time. An echocardiogram later revealed a hole in her heart, a patent foramen ovale (PFO), which had grown larger over time and was determined to be the likely cause of her stroke.

Evonne Rooks, another survivor, is now advocating for awareness, even walking in a Survivor Fashion Show during the American Heart Association's Circle of Red May Event.

Evonne Rooks (Photo: Madison Moore, 8News)

Rooks' stroke struck at an even younger age in July 2023.

"A stroke, at 28? 28-year-olds don't have strokes. Like what are you talking about?" she recounted saying to her doctor. "I remember waking up and I just had a headache."

A day later, that headache intensified into a piercing migraine.

"Thankfully, I went to the emergency room because my doctor's office was closed," Rooks said – a decision that ultimately saved her life.

Doctors informed her by he time she arrived to the E.R., the stroke was already at 75% of her brain's cerebellum region.

"They were like, you wouldn't have seen 29," Rooks said.

Evonne Rooks (Photo: Madison Moore, 8News)

In that terrifying moment, her two-year-old son, Andre, was paramount in her thoughts.

"Am I going to get out of here? You know, my son is at home. You know, thinking about, like, is his mom coming back?" Rooks said.

Rooks is a diabetic, but to this day, she doesn't have a definitive "why" for her stroke.

Connecting with other survivors has been invaluable for both Furling and Rooks.

"I've met Evonne and other ladies and it's just, you know, you just meet them and then you just want to give them a big hug," Furlong shared.

Evonne and Holly's stories are a reminder to us all -- stroke can happen at any age.

As Furlong points out, "You can push it aside because you think you're invincible because you're younger, and that, you know, is not always the case."

While recovery has brought its own challenges for both Evonne and Holly, they are grateful to not have any long-term disabilities, a testament to the importance of early recognition and treatment.