Aubrey Plaza opens up about being briefly paralyzed after suffering stroke at age 20
Parks and Rec star Aubrey Plaza has reflected on the 'craziest' part of experiencing a stroke at the age of 20.
The Parks and Recreation actor - also known for White Lotus and set to star in upcoming Marvel series Agatha All Along - had a stroke at the age of 20 and subsequently acquired aphasia.
Plaza has previously opened up about her stroke, telling NPR that she was at her friend's house at the time and her friends initially thought she was just joking around.
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The 40-year-old continued: "And then I kind of blacked out for a second. And then I remember there was just like a really loud kind of sound happening. And I brought my hands to my throat, and I was kind of making like an ah (ph) sound because I couldn’t talk because the blood clot was in my language center of my brain.
"So I had expressive aphasia instantly, which means that if you’re talking to me, I could understand what you’re saying in my mind and understand how to respond.
"But I couldn’t actually get it out. I couldn’t actually talk."
Yesterday (September 11), Plaza sat down with Howard Stern for his SiriusXM show and revealed that she was actually temporarily paralyzed by the stroke.
The actor branded the whole experience 'wild' but noted the 'craziest' but also 'kind [of] the coolest thing about it' was that everything 'happened mid-sentence'.
"I took the train to Astoria to have lunch with my friends and I walked into their apartment - I hadn't even taken my jacket off - and it just happened," she said.
Plaza revealed she was actually momentarily 'paralyzed', however, 'only really for a minute or something'.
"I lost my motor skills really briefly. The freakiest thing was I forgot how to talk," she said.
Plaza was rushed to ER where she says she sat for 'about two hours' before she was examined because the star 'physically looked fine' but she 'couldn't talk and [...] was confused' and 'also couldn't write'.
The actor continued: "A doctor finally examined me, and I believe she asked me to put my right hand on my left knee. And I couldn’t do it.
"I was confused about right and left. And I think that’s when everyone realized, oh, like, she had a stroke."
Plaza went to a stroke unit and was later transferred to hospital to allow her brain to 'heal itself', alongside taking part in cognitive therapy.
She resolved: "I think I was lucky. I was so young that my brain was really - healed itself really fast. So I was talking after a couple of days. But I still have - there's still certain, you know, things that only I would notice that are kind of residual from - left over from that incident.
"And since then, I've had some minor - they call them TIAs, which are transient ischemic attacks, that are tiny little strokes. So something's up with my blood, but I don't know what it is.
"[...] I mean it was terrifying. It was really scary. And I didn't change anything dramatically, you know, in my life.
"But I guess it sounds cheesy to say, but I think I always am aware of how precious life is, and I try to remember that every day."
If you've been affected by the contents of this article you can find more information about where to get help from The American Stroke Association via their website.
Topics: Celebrity, Health, Mental Health
Poppy Bilderbeck