COLUMBIA, S.C. — On Friday afternoon, a 13-year-old Furman Middle School student sat in his hospital bed asking for chicken nuggets and Gatorade - just 11 days after a stroke.
On Feb. 6, Daniel went to school like any normal day. He said he wasn't feeling well, and went to the front office of Furman Middle School to call his mom. At this point, his speech was slurred and he couldn't talk on the phone.
The staff in the front office asked his mother, Jennifer Lynch, to come to pick him up. Jennifer said that when she arrived she had to help her son to the car because he was weak and limp on his right side.
She took him home and let him sleep before sending him to Prisma Health Tuomey Hospital in Sumter. Since then, Lynch says the past week has been unnerving for her family.
"We didn't expect a 13-year-old to ever go through this," she said.
Doctors said he suffered a five-centimeter aneurysm which caused him to have what is called a hemorrhagic stroke, something most adults do not survive.
Daniel's grandparents Rhonda and Charles Ahtonen said they want this situation to be a learning experience for others.
"We hope that some other parent or grandparent won't have to go through what we went through," Charles said. "That's all we're trying to do is help that next kid that comes into the office and is having difficulty so they know exactly what they need to do."
https://www.wltx.com/article/news/local/awake-and-talking-after-surviving-a-stroke