NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — I woke up the next morning and knew something was wrong, but I didn't know how critical that really was for another day or so.
DeShawn McClain went to work unaware of what had happened to her body overnight.
"I missed a morning meeting which I never miss and I sent an email that didn't make any sense," McClain said.
Tired and confused, McClain says she could not form a sentence. When an ambulance arrived, she says paramedics quickly knew what happened, rushing her to a Nashville emergency room. But doctors couldn't figure out why.
"There wasn't anything that indicated that I was at risk of having another stroke or even having a stroke the first time," McClain said.
McClain says it took about a year of determination to recover from her stroke in 2024.
"Learning to walk, learning to use my left side of my body, I did a lot of speech therapy," McClain said.
Not knowing what was happening with her heart, McClain got a LINQ ICM heart monitor. Two years later, she says it brought clarity. The device monitors the heart continuously, sharing heart data with McClain's doctors.
The device is designed to detect intermittent abnormal heart rhythm episodes like atrial fibrillation, which is a major risk factor for stroke. An unexplained stroke requires further testing, and long-term cardiac monitoring can unlock answers.
"I got the device in May of last year and since then I have gotten back seven or eight reports, all of them have been clear," McClain said.
Now raising awareness during Heart Month, she says her journey taught her how to advocate for herself and live healthier.
"My diet's a lot healthier, all the things that doctors say to do, I say go ahead and do those because that will save you a lot of trouble down the road," McClain said.
Do you have questions about heart health or stroke recovery? Share your story with Kim and help others learn about the importance of heart monitoring during Heart Month. Contact kim.rafferty@NewsChannel5.com to continue the conversation.
In this article, we used artificial intelligence to help us convert a video news report originally written by Kim Rafferty. When using this tool, both Kim and the NewsChannel 5 editorial team verified all the facts in the article to make sure it is fair and accurate before we published it. We care about your trust in us and where you get your news, and using this tool allows us to convert our news coverage into different formats so we can quickly reach you where you like to consume information. It also lets our journalists spend more time looking into your story ideas, listening to you and digging into the stories that matter.
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