POINT PLEASANT – Stacy Quinn of Bellville was only 41 years old when she suffered a stroke. Despite an initial misdiagnosis, she recovered and is now an advocate for getting people prepared to act fast on how to spot a stroke.
Quinn is a certified spin instructor and leads group indoor cycling workouts on stationary bicycles, guiding participants through cadence, resistance, and music-driven routines. As a stroke survivor, she recently served as the special guest speaker for the Marquis Health Services’ second New Jersey CycleNation with the American Heart Association and Crest Pointe Rehabilitation & Healthcare Center.
Featuring a stationary bike cycling team relay and fundraiser, the event welcomed cyclists of all experience levels, with hydration stations, light snacks and a post-ride happy hour.
Quinn said, “I was misdiagnosed for 10 days. I raise awareness for strokes because a lot of people don’t realize that one in 500 will have a stroke in their lifetime so I share my story to raise awareness of that. The symptoms of a stroke are pretty much the same for women and men. Particularly with young people the onset of a stroke is a severe headache.”
“If you have that you should have gone to the hospital immediately,” she said. She then became the founder of My Stroke of Hope. “I will be riding right alongside of you,” Quinn told the cyclists.
“Almost 12 years ago, I was like many of you,” she told the participants of the event. “I thought a stroke is the absolute last thing that would happen to me but one morning I woke up to what I would describe as the worst headache of my life, but like a lot of active people I said I’d tough it out, I’ll grab and espresso and be happy and go to work.”
“A few hours later I was meeting with my boss and suddenly my speech was garbled. I knew what I wanted to say but the words wouldn’t come out. It lasted for a few seconds. I paused and then it happened again. I was terrified because I thought of myself as healthy,” Quinn added.
Quinn said, “I made excuses. I went to Urgent Care twice over the course of several days where they told me, ‘you are just stressed out. You have a migraine.’ Then they told me I had an ear infection. The pain in my head was so explosive I finally went to a neurologist who did scans. I delayed my brain scan by a whole day because I didn’t want to miss my workout that evening.”
“I chose a workout over a warning,” Quinn told her audience. “I didn’t understand how serious it was but hours after my scan my doctor told me to go to the ER immediately. A tear in my carotid artery which was called a dissection was blocking 90% the blood flow to my brain. I was on the verge of a life altering stroke.”
She said, “laying in that hospital bed I kept asking myself, why me? I thought I knew I was healthy but everything changed. My doctors told me that because I was so strong my body was more resilient. My heart and vascular system helped minimize the damage to my brain and helped me recover incredibly fast. I always tell my riders focus on your form tonight. I want you to remember a different kind of form that can save a life. If you remember BE FAST. B, balance. Loss of balance, dizziness, sudden severe headache, E, eyes. Blurred vision, trouble seeing in one or both eyes. F, face. One side of the face droops, uneven smile or numbness. A, arms. Arm weakness, especially one side of the body. S, speech. Difficulty speaking, slurred speech. T, time. Call 911 if you have any of these symptoms.”
This year’s CycleNation brought together healthcare professionals, community leaders, and local businesses to raise awareness around stroke and cardiovascular health while supporting the American Heart Association’s lifesaving research, education, and community initiatives.
Event Chair Sarah Kohn, the Regional Director of Network Development at Marquis Health said “the reason I am passionate about this is because we care for so many residents in our centers that are suffering from this devastating disease and I hope to bring awareness to the community, to the healthcare professionals, and to all of my friends.”
Dan Stemer, the executive director of the American Heart Association New Jersey said, “Along with my team we operate this event, CycleNation. It is one of our signature campaigns. It is focused on brain health, stroke education and awareness. We do community events and campaigns all throughout the year. Stroke is the number four leading cause of death. The money we raise goes to research that we fund in the programs we promote in the community.”
“Strokes can be preventable by living a healthy lifestyle of physical activity. Exercise is one of the best things you can do to prevent heart disease and stroke (as well as) being aware of your blood pressure. High blood pressure is the number one cause of stroke. Many people are living with it and not aware so we stress getting your blood pressure checked,” Stemer added.
The owners of Reckless Ride Cycle Studio, Kyleigh and Erika Reckage, steered the course to make the cyclists happy and that included a visit by Buster, the mascot of the Jersey Shore BlueClaws. “We’re bringing a little bit of Reckless Ride to the American Heart Association. We teach cycle classes and are bringing our energy here,” Kyleigh Reckage said.
Erika Reckage added, “staying healthy is going to give you longevity in the long run by being able to keep your body moving.”
The event raised around $30,000. For more information visit heart.org and mystrokeofhope.com
