McKenna’s Story: A Fast-Moving Stroke, a Lifesaving Response

Twelve-year-old McKenna had just started gym class when the unthinkable happened. She suddenly collapsed. Quick action from her school nurse, Gina, resulted in McKenna being rushed to the hospital for an expected stroke.

Her mom, Amber, received the call no parent imagines. “Gina called to tell me McKenna had collapsed in gym and seemed confused and she was going to our local ER. But not even five minutes later, she called back to let me know they were bypassing our local hospital and taking her straight to Joliet for a possible stroke,” she recalls. “I hadn’t even seen her yet. Everything was happening so fast.”

A CT scan confirmed a large blood clot in McKenna’s brain. She would need a level of specialty pediatric stroke care that few hospitals in the country can provide. She was airlifted to Lurie Children’s for emergency neurointerventional treatment.

“Stroke in children is less common and therefore often goes unrecognized until treatment is no longer available,” says Ali Shaibani, MD, MBA, Section Chief of Pediatric Neurointervention at Lurie Children’s. “When a major artery is blocked, up to 1.8 million brain cells die every minute. The faster we can reopen that artery, the better the child’s chance of recovery.”

In McKenna’s case, the main artery supplying the right side of her brain had suddenly closed, leaving her unable to move her left arm and leg.

A Procedure—and a Moment—Her Family Will Never Forget

Amber and McKenna’s dad, Jake, arrived at Lurie Children’s just in time to meet Dr. Shaibani before the procedure.

“He was so kind and patient,” Amber says. “He drew everything out for us—what they were going to do, where the clot was, what tissue was already starting to die. Seeing the images made everything real, but we knew she needed the procedure right away.”

“I can’t describe the relief when we saw her afterwards,” Amber says. “As we were setting our things down, she reached up to scratch an itch—with her left hand. Jake and I just looked at each other and at the nurses like, ‘Did she just move her left side?!’ We trusted the team completely, but we never expected to see improvement that fast.”

“Fortunately, she was diagnosed quickly and flown to Lurie Children’s for a minimally invasive, x-ray guided procedure to remove the clot,” Dr. Shaibani explains. “Because treatment happened so rapidly, she has made a complete recovery.”

A Resilient Recovery

Over the next few days, McKenna regained strength quickly. Physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy each cleared her to return to normal activity. She was discharged just three days later.

Today, her recovery continues to amaze her care team.

“She still does some PT to build strength in her left hand and leg,” Amber says, “but otherwise, you wouldn’t even know she had a stroke.”

McKenna lives with Marfan syndrome and previously underwent open-heart surgery to repair her mitral valve—factors her care team believes may have contributed to her stroke. She has since met with hematology, neurology, and the neurointerventional team, with all testing reassuringly normal.

Back to Being McKenna

At home, McKenna is back to the things she loves—playing keyboard, painting, reading, and rehearsing for her school musical.

“She has the biggest heart,” Amber says. “Even in the hospital, one of the first things she said was, ‘I hope my friend Willa is okay—she saw everything happen.’ That’s just who she is.”

Her school eased her transition back with two weeks of half days, helping her regain strength and confidence.

And at every follow-up appointment at Lurie Children’s, there is one tradition: stopping in the cafeteria for her favorite cheeseburger for the drive home.

“The staff were incredible,” Amber adds. “Her first nurse braided her hair so it wouldn’t get matted. Everyone genuinely cared for her. I always heard great things about Lurie Children’s, but I never imagined we’d be calling it home for four days.”

Raising Awareness, Helping Other Kids

Before September, Amber didn’t know children could have strokes.

“I want more parents to know the warning signs,” she says. “I’ve wondered if I missed something, or assumed something was just part of her Marfan syndrome. But congenital heart disease increases stroke risk. I’m just so grateful she was somewhere that recognized what was happening.”

Today, McKenna is participating in a research trial tracking children who undergo thrombectomy for stroke—helping doctors better understand pediatric stroke and recovery.

“She’s been through more than most adults and still doesn’t let anything stop her,” Amber says. “Without the team at Lurie Children’s, we might not have her here. That thought still hits me. We’re just so thankful.”

Dr. Shaibani emphasizes how rare and critical this level of care is nationwide.

“Most hospitals, even those that treat adult stroke patients, don’t have the ability to treat children,” he says. “Many pediatric hospitals also don’t have the full complement of specialists needed for comprehensive pediatric stroke care. Lurie Children’s is unique in having all the necessary resources for infants through teenagers.”

For McKenna and her family, that expertise—and the speed with which it was mobilized—changed everything.