'LUCKY TO BE ALIVE'
Girl, 17, woke up paralysed after contraceptive pill caused blood clot to pass through a hole in her heart to her brain
The teen suffered a stroke, which left her unable to move or speak
A TEENAGE girl was on a family holiday in Spain when she experienced the terrifying symptoms of a blood clot.
Lauren Jean, 17, woke up one night to find the entire right side of her body was numb.
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She tried to get out of bed but fell, which alerted her parents.
As she was unable to speak or move, they decided to call an ambulance.
Lauren was airlifted to Hospital Universitario Torrecardenas in Almeria for emergency surgery, which revealed she had developed a blood clot that had travelled to her brain and caused a stroke.
Doctors told her the clot was caused by her combined contraceptive pill.
Read more on blood clots
Scans later showed the teen had been born with a hole in her heart, which the clot had passed through and up to her head.
The stroke left Lauren unable to walk or talk, and she spent months having physiotherapy to regain those functions.
She also had a surgery to repair the hole in her heart.
But two years on, she's unrecognisable, and training for the 2025 London Marathon.
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Lauren, now 20, from Clitheroe, Lancashire, said: "On the day I had my stroke, my parents were told the chances of me surviving were slim to none.
"I remember I couldn't move or speak and I was being wheeled into emergency surgery. I had no idea what was going on.
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"When I found out it was because I developed a blood clot and had a heart defect, I thought my life would never be the same again.
"After my surgeries I had to learn how to walk again - it was hard but they couldn't stop me trying."
Lauren didn't want to sit down until she could walk again, and she then applied for the London Marathon.
"Now I'm training and stronger than I was before - you'd never know I had a stroke two years ago," she said.
The singer-songwriter had been taking the combined contraceptive pill since the age of 13 to control heavy periods.
She was aware of the slight risks of blood clots associated with the pill, but never imagined it would affect her.
That was until August 12, 2022, while on holiday with her family in Mojacar, Spain, when the blood clot woke her up in the night.
When I was told I'd had a stroke I couldn't believe it. I said, 'What? Do you mean sunstroke?'
Lauren Jean
"I kept blacking out and I couldn't ask any questions, I feared for my life," Lauren said.
"I was wheeled into a room full of people for surgery, I couldn't ask what surgery I was having though.
"It could have been brain surgery, heart surgery or to chop my leg off for all I knew."
She underwent brain surgery lasting several hours where doctors found a blood clot which had caused her stroke.
Lauren said: "When I was told I'd had a stroke I couldn't believe it. I said, 'What? Do you mean sunstroke?'"
After days on the intensive care ward, unable to walk, talk, or even use the toilet on her own, she was taken for a heart scan, where doctors spotted a hole in her heart, called a patent foramen ovale.
Lauren begged to fly back to the UK before having further treatment.
Once home, doctors explained the reason for her blood clot had been her contraceptive pill.
ROAD TO RECOVERY
She said: "They told me the clot would have started in my leg, and normally it would have disintegrated on its own.
"But because I have this hole in my heart, it had slipped through and gone into my brain, causing my stroke."
She began a physiotherapy course at Royal Blackburn Hospital to regain movement, and it took her six weeks to walk again.
In July 2023, she had heart surgery where a device was implanted to close the hole, after which she decided she wanted to take on a challenge - the London Marathon.
Lauren has been hitting the gym six days a week and has been running 40km a week to train.
She said: "I'm still training my right side to be stronger but I'm back to my normal self.
"Apart from being left with a twitch in my finger, you'd never know I nearly died.
"I couldn't play piano, guitar or sing after, but I'm getting it back and I have started performing again."
Contraceptive pill benefits and risks
BENEFITS:
Pregnancy prevention - the pill is over 99 per cent effective if used correctly every time.
Menstrual health - the pill can make periods lighter, less painful, and more regular.
Acne - the pill can help with acne.
Cancer risk - the pill can reduce the risk of ovarian, endometrial and colon cancer.
Other health benefits - it can also help with symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), endometriosis, and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
RISKS:
Side effects - the pill can cause temporary side effects, such as headaches, nausea, breast tenderness, mood changes, and increased blood pressure.
Bleeding - breakthrough bleeding or changes to your period are common in the first few months.
Serious health conditions - the pill has been linked to an increased risk of some serious health conditions, such as blood clots and breast cancer.
No protection against STIs - the pill doesn't protect you against sexually transmitted infections.
Source: NHS
Lauren also hopes to raise awareness of strokes in young people.
She said: "I had severe headaches and tingling on one side of my body before my stroke.
"Get any symptoms checked out.
"When I was told I had a stroke, I thought, 'Surely not, I'm only 17'.
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"I kept saying to my mum, 'This can't be right'.
"I always thought it wouldn't happen to me, but it can. Strokes can affect anyone."
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