Teen Left Paralyzed, Unable to Speak After Symptoms Dismissed as ‘Period Pain’: ‘Unexpected Tragedy’
Key Points:
- Seventeen-year-old Shakira Gorman from England experienced heavy bleeding and back pain, initially mistaking it for her period, before developing severe symptoms including difficulty breathing and loss of sensation in her arms.
- She was hospitalized at Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital, placed on a ventilator, and diagnosed with a rare spinal stroke, a condition that affects less than 1% of all stroke cases and can lead to paralysis or permanent disability.
- Gorman remains in critical care, paralyzed and unable to speak, requiring intensive life-saving treatments and therapy to regain muscle function, with her future recovery uncertain.
- Her family has expressed shock and devastation, emphasizing the unpredictability of her condition and the ongoing efforts by medical staff to support