Rehab Stroke Time
By Andrew Nealen
Feb. 22, 2023
In the second part of a three-part series on young stroke survivor Garrett Mendez, who was only 19-years-old when he had a stroke, his mother Eileen Mendez shares her recollection of her son’s stroke and recovery.
Garrett’s stroke was caused by a head first hit into the boards during a hockey game. The hit occurred six days before he had the stroke. We were at that game. He was a freshman in college. Garrett played hockey since he was four and it was the worst hit I had ever seen. I thought he had broken his neck or was dead. Within a few minutes, he was moving his feet, he got up, was checked by the trainer who found no sign of concussion or anything else and he actually finished the game.