Finally, the test and scan results started to come back and we learned that it appeared she had no signs of lasting damage from her stroke. So, technically, Char didn’t have a stroke, she had a transient ischemic attack, which is when your throw a clot (embolism), lose blood flow to an area of the brain, but then blood flow is restored soon enough to prevent permanent damage. Strokes are when the symptoms do not abate and the damage is more permanent.
While we were out of the woods in terms of dramatic, life-changing injury, Char did have to make some pretty major lifestyle changes.
We both quit smoking, and she had to go on an extremely regimented diet because her therapeutic clotting medicine, Coumadin, is very sensitive to dietary changes and green vegetables. Coumadin prevented her from forming more clots, so her body could naturally start to dissolve her VAD clot and the dissection could eventually heal.
Char was finally discharged from Swedish, and within a week she was…
… shooting a wedding.
Yup, that’s Charlotte for you. Tough as nails, and maybe even a bit foolish, but if she can stand, she will shoot a wedding.
This pretty much par for the course for her really: she shot a wedding 1 week before Ella was born, and 1 week after Trystan was born and now she shot a wedding 1 week after God-knows what could have happened…
A big reason Char was so gung-ho about this wedding, is that Kris and Jay are awesome people. They found us through some amazing past clients of ours, and they turned to be the perfect bride and groom. They are beautiful, loving and laid-back. That’s all we ever need in a couple.
But on top of all that, Kris never sweated about Charlotte. Kris is a physical therapist who is very familiar with Char’s injury (VAD), and she always seemed to know things were going to be fine.
And they were. It was a perfect winter wedding at the perfect little Holy Rosary Chapel in Cascade, CO with a reception at Flying Horse. Unfortunately, it was dumping snow by the time we got to Flying Horse, so we weren’t able to get Kris and Jay outside that picturesque venue for some snow shots, but we were still able to play around it’s stunning interior.
Another factor in the success of this wedding was our former associate photographer and friend, Kim Harms. She came with to lend her amazing eye, which helped Char not get too overtaxed, because her head still hurt and she got vertigo and fatigue constantly.
But Char toughed it out, because she’s crazy.
And amazing.
And we’re happy to announce Charlotte (as of a month ago) has a completely clean bill-of-health! Her VAD is totally healed, no more clots, clean brain scans, and off the dreaded Coumadin (she couldn’t drink on it, and for those of you who know Char… she needs her glass of wine at the end of the day, or else…).
So, in closing, we are very sorry we seem to have dropped off the map in terms of blogging and updating Facebook (not to mention all the delayed portrait sessions and delivering orders), but we’ve been dealing with a lot over the last 5 months. Thank you to all of our beloved clients who have shown such patience and support.
Life is finally back to normal, and the blog will be, too.
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Trig and Char!
I’m so glad Char is okay. I can only imagine how scary and overwhelming that could be. Ironically, I was in a wedding this past weekend where I gained even more appreciation for your spectacular service. Ryan and I LOVED our photos, but I don’t know if I previously appreciated how quickly and efficiently you worked during the wedding. The photog at the wedding this weekend had the wedding party waiting for HOURS! And I’m still not sure if she got all the shots she was supposed to. Thank you so much! I still recommend you to everyone as soon as they get engaged! Be well.
@Tonya Neely – That’s so nice to hear. We try hard to keep things fun and ON TIME. Nobody likes to wait.
You are not kidding about her being tough. She shot my baby girl’s photos shortly before her stroke and then we heard nothing for six weeks. When she was on the mend and contacted me about what had happened, you would have thought she had a hang nail. Seriously, I’m still amazed by your story two hours after reading it! And really, she got our proofs back in a pretty timely fashion. Make her go rest. Shhheeesh! Thanks for everything. As I tell Charlotte each time I talk to her. Her pictures are beautiful. They always capture the sparkle in our kids eyes. Glad to hear she is on the mend.
I’m so glad to hear Char’s back 100% (or more like 110%, as it sounds). What a scary situation, but I’m very happy to hear everyone’s healthy and happy!
@Kathleen – “Make her go rest.” HA!
I have been begging her to slow down for years. Nope. Not gonna happen. She was making arrangements and calling people in the Critical Care Unit of Swedish, on painkillers, head exploding… she was still arranging our lives. She’s kind of scary, really… ; )
@Erika Fore – Thanks, Erika. Me, too!
So glad to hear all is well. It is always scary when those things happen but it helps us appreciate everyday even more.
All our best
Absolutely terrifying. Charlotte, I’m so glad you’re ok. I can’t believe something like that could happen to you. I guess this is an important reminder for all of us not to take any moment for granted.
And then shooting a wedding right afterward? You are a hero.
Wow! What an incredible story. I am so glad that she is okay, and also that she managed to get off the road safely with your child. What a trooper, the more I know about you two, the more respect I gain.
Sincerely,
Amy Bakke
Truly remarkable! My brother, suffered the same event a year and a half ago…and he was 34 at the time. A very healthy, active young man…they believe his artery tore from lifting weights — squats with the bar!? I know this isn’t a blog about this condition but would like to make people aware that this is actually more common than we think. We have been taught to battle through a headache vs being paranoid about every ailment…. The docs initially thought it was the swine flu or bells palsy!?!? My brother was able to recover, only has mild headaches once in a while and has lost some peripheral vision. We are lucky to have not lost our loved ones. I hope Charlotte and family are doing well!! My heart sank when I read the post. Charlotte shot my budoir photos…truly made it a special event for me as a gift for my husband. Glad to hear Charlotte is back making others feel beautiful and special too!
Take care!