Stephanie Bertossi

Stephanie is definitely a type-A personality who always has several projects on the go.

In 2005, at age 45, she was a driven businesswoman working in the high-stress food service industry, running five restaurants in different locations. Young and vibrant, she would never have believed she could be at risk for a stroke. She admits, “Like most women, I thought I was invincible.”

One evening, she was at home arranging flight details for a business trip when she became oddly disoriented. With the receiver in her hands, she was suddenly overcome with confusion; she didn’t know how to dial the phone number or speak.

Fortunately, Stephanie knew the warning signs of stroke, as her father had experienced one in the past. Even so, she asked her husband to call her sister for confirmation. “If my sister hadn’t insisted that I call for emergency assistance, I might not have recovered the way I did,” Stephanie says. Within minutes of being admitted to hospital, she was given thrombolytic therapy (t-PA), a drug that helps dissolve blood clots and minimize the damage caused by stroke. Other than some short-term memory loss, she has experienced no long-term effects.

Knowing the warning signs of stroke and acting on them quickly may have saved Stephanie’s life. Now, two years later, she is living life to the fullest and planning to open a sixth restaurant location. “But I’ve learned to handle stress better,” she says. “I’ve definitely learned to delegate!”