Be careful what you wish for

It's an old adage – and it's become heart-breakingly true for Welcome Bay's Shirley Porter. Be careful what you wish for.

Her daughter, Karolyn Timarkos, flew to Seattle for a month on August 22. Shirley was supposed to be on the plane with her. The pair had been planning the trip for several months to visit Shirley's American half-sister, who is 10 years older than her ‘little sister' and not very well.

A couple months back, a new kitten stumbled into Shirley's life. Cinder, the stocky little feline, is a few months old now, and quickly became Shirley's ‘little boy'.

'He follows me around like a shadow, and likes to be near me all the time,” says Shirley. 'That's why I didn't really want to leave him.”

Cinder is Shirley's first experience of having a kitten of her own, and she's adoring it. 'The family always had kittens,” she says, 'but the kids played with them and looked after them. I was always too busy – working full-time and looking after the kids.”

As departure day drew closer, Shirley started to fret about leaving little Cinder behind. 'I wish I didn't have to leave you for a month,” she said to him.

Then boom – eight days before they were due to fly, Shirley went into Tauranga Hospital, suffering from a suspected mini-stroke after developing a sudden weakness in the muscles on the left side of her face.

It turned out to be Bell's palsy, a possible reaction to a viral infection. Bell's palsy usually resolves on its own within six months, and is a condition that doesn't impact flying.

However, during tests the hospital discovered the carotid arteries in Shirley's neck were blocked – one at 80 per cent, the other at 90 per cent. And that's not a condition Shirley was prepared to take to 30,000 feet in a pressurised cabin for 14 hours.

'I was really gutted that my blockages were so high, which made it imperative that I didn't go on the trip,” she explains. 'It's very disappointing, but being alive is more important.”

In hindsight, there may have been some warning signs. 'Looking back, probably there were. I would get quite tired and ‘heady', and have to lie down for half-an-hour. Then I'd come right. I'd also get quite red-flushed in the face sometimes, and never knew why – I never thought about it. It would fade away after a bit.”

Shirley was still working full-time at that stage, teaching maths at Tauranga Girls' College and the Bay of Plenty Polytechnic/Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology for 37 years.

'I thought it was just the stress of everyday life,” she admits. 'My annual blood test came up alright, so I didn't go past that.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, carotid artery disease occurs when fatty deposits (plaques) clog the blood vessels that deliver blood to the brain and head (carotid arteries).

The blockage increases the risk of stroke – a medical emergency that occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted or seriously reduced.

Carotid artery disease develops slowly, and the first sign of the condition may be a stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA), which is a temporary shortage of blood flow to your brain.

Shirley says she's thankful her condition was discovered before getting on that plane. 'I'm now looking at a combination of lifestyle changes, medication, maybe surgery,” she says, 'and hopefully a trip to Seattle next year.”

In its early stages, carotid artery disease often doesn't produce any signs or symptoms, but there are many lifestyle changes that can be made to reduce the risk.

Avoid smoking or diets high in cholesterol, make sure you exercise, lose weight if obese, and get enough sleep. Age and family history can also be a factor, so talk to your doctor if you have any worries.

Also seek immediate medical advice if you have any signs of a stroke, which are covered by the acronym FAST:

Face dropping on one side.

Arm weakness on one side.

Speech mixed up, slurred, or lost.

Take action call 111 immediately.

On a positive note, Shirley and Cinder will be spending the coming month snuggling together in the sunshine, and traveling vicariously through Karolyn's posts on her Facebook and Instagram accounts as The Nocrastinator.

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