An Ohio bride suffered a stroke on her wedding day after developing a loud buzzing in her ear, severe dizziness and losing the ability to walk during her ceremony in Rochester, New York.
Anna Lasco was marrying Connor Lasco on September 5 when her left leg gave way. She said her speech became altered and sounded as though she was intoxicated, with guests asking whether she had been drinking.
“I had this loud buzzing noise in my left ear. And suddenly my leg, left leg specifically, like, gave out under me,” Anna told WGAL 8.
Connor said he realised something was wrong when he saw her eyes were “very wide”. Anna was carried down the aisle by her husband after she lost the ability to walk, before being taken to an emergency department when the ceremony ended.
Doctors diagnosed her with a left vertebral artery dissection, a tear in an artery supplying blood to the brain. She was flown to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, where she suffered a stroke and spent weeks bed-bound during her recovery.
Wedding-day stroke left bride facing months of rehabilitation
Connor has kept relatives, friends and supporters updated on Anna’s condition. He said the blood clot that initially caused the stroke had dissolved, but that two further strokes occurred in different parts of the brain during the process.
Anna began physical rehabilitation at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center to rebuild her strength. She was discharged on September 22 and returned to her home in Columbus, Ohio.
“I’m officially home! I’d like to thank everyone for the incredible outpouring of love, support, prayers and positive thoughts. I couldn’t be more grateful,” she wrote in a Facebook statement.
Dr Faisal Aziz, chief of vascular surgery at Penn State Health, said the injury was a tear inside a blood vessel. He said it could be difficult to recognise because it may begin with sudden dizziness, headaches, vertigo or a feeling of imbalance.
Dr Aziz said worsening symptoms could include double or blurred vision, loss of vision in severe cases, slurred speech and difficulty swallowing. He said the rare condition affects roughly one to two people in every 100,000 each year and can affect younger adults without a clear cause.
Anna’s family has started a fundraiser to help with medical bills and unexpected expenses. It has raised up to 56,000 US dollars towards a 60,000-dollar target.
“Their wedding day didn’t go as they dreamed, but their marriage began with Connor standing beside Anna through the hardest moment of their lives,” her family said in a statement.
Anna said she felt “positive, determined and grateful to be here today”. The couple plan to hold a wedding “redo” on their first anniversary, September 5 next year.
