Preeti Lala was going through some big life changes in January 2022 after deciding to move back to Canada to be closer to family. For over 15 years, she had lived in Florida working as a public defender but in order to practice law in Ontario, she needed to dedicate extensive hours to study for her Solicitor Exam and Barrister Exam. It was a stressful time, having to uproot the life she had built in the United States, find a part-time job and balance studying.
Preeti took the Solicitor Exam in July 2022, followed by the Barrister Exam in November 2022. On November 23, less than two weeks after the Barrister Exam, she got a migraine, took an Advil and went to bed. When she woke up the next morning for work, her right arm and right leg felt like dead weight and she had difficulty moving them.
“When I got up to walk I noticed my right leg was also dead weight. It was totally numb. I could lift my arm and leg but it was like I was a rag doll,” Preeti recalls. Seeking answers online, she found an article that said it was possible to experience numbness after a migraine and that made her feel a lot better. She went back to sleep but woke up a few hours later, still completely exhausted and equally as numb. She texted her cousin, a family doctor, who urged her to go to the hospital if the symptoms continued.
Preeti headed to Trillium Health Partners’ Emergency Department at Mississauga Hospital. She was seen quickly and had a CT scan, which found nothing. The next day, she had an MRI to assess her brain and an Electrocardiogram (ECG) to check for heart irregularities. Eventually an internal medicine specialist came to see Preeti. When she finally heard the diagnosis, she was shocked. The doctors were, too, given that Preeti was just 44 years old: Preeti had suffered a stroke.
“The world froze,” Preeti remembers. She also was told she had diabetes and high blood pressure. It was a lot of news to take in and she was exhausted and overwhelmed, but the staff made all the difference.
Neurologist Dr. Siddiqui came to see Preeti and explained she had a lacunar stroke, caused when an artery to the deeper portions of the brain becomes blocked. He said most of the time this type of stroke has a 100% recovery in young patients, and the probability of these happening again can be prevented through lifestyle changes. For example, dropping blood pressure just 10 points to target will lower risk by approximately 40%.
Dr. Siddiqui was just one individual in the broader health care team that Preeti describes as fantastic. “I had an entire team helping me and it was so reassuring.”
Preeti spent two weeks in the hospital and during that time she worked intensely with physical and occupational therapists, regaining strength with various exercises and relearning how to walk. Preeti was discharged on December 7 and began outpatient rehab in early 2023 at Queensway Health Centre with Physical Therapist Ann Murray.
Then, in March 2023, Preeti was called to the bar by the Law Society of Ontario. “I was nervous about walking,” says Preeti, who relied on a walker right after her stroke and transitioned to a cane during the two weeks she was in the hospital. “But I was able to walk across the stage and I even wore heels!”
Today, Preeti is feeling strong and healthy, and recently celebrated her 45th birthday. Her blood pressure is back to normal and she is managing her diabetes with medication and positive lifestyle changes. Professionally, she has settled comfortably into her new life as a lawyer in Canada, working at a small law firm in downtown Toronto doing a mix of employment and construction law and civil litigation.
Of her experience at Trillium Health Partners, Preeti feels grateful to be fully recovered and back to doing the things she loves, crediting her recovery in part to the knowledgeable, compassionate and dedicated staff she came into contact with throughout her health care journey.
“Don’t hesitate going to the hospital, because the staff is so wonderful and your health is so serious, when you’re admitted be patient and have faith that this will work out.”
About 1 in 5,000 women aged 15 – 49 will suffer a stroke in their lifetime. Did you know that Trillium Health Partners has 14 regional specialty programs, one of which is Stroke & Neurology? By making a donation to Trillium Health Partners you are supporting millions of patients in your community just like Preeti.