Personal Narrative: Why Did My Dad Have Two Strokes

“Jessica, please go to the principal’s office,” is already scary enough to hear, let alone seeing my mom sitting up front in tears. Hearing that my dad had a stroke at the age of 43 was shocking, but in all honesty, understanding that he might need brain surgery made me cry. Just when I thought that was frightening, almost exactly two years later, my dad suffered a second stroke. He might not make it, they said, and for over a month, he couldn’t even say one word. That’s what made me think about the choices we make when it comes to our health. At 45 years old, my father had already suffered two strokes, what was in store for me? That’s when I realized that being healthy is not just an option for me; it’s a way of living.
Why did my dad have two strokes so young? Was it just all genetics? Yes and no; his mother just had a stroke a year before his first, and
Strokes, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and breast cancer, just to name a few. Furthermore, some of these ailments ran on both my mom and dad’s side of the family, so I immediately realized that a healthy lifestyle was a must.
To this day, I have been aware of my eating habits as well as my need to secure exercise as a part of my life. As a part of eating healthy, eating low carb has always been a favorable choice for my family. That is to say, eating 20, or fewer, carbohydrates per day, while also eating high in protein, has been very effective for my family. This may seem like a difficult task, but in the long run, I know it’s worth it. If I do happen to obtain a disease, I’ll have a greater chance fighting the disease if I am healthier than to fight the disease when I am unhealthy.
Due to the illnesses that run in my family, a low carb and high protein diet, with the addition of exercise, is just what I need. This I believe: being healthy is not just an option for me; it’s my way of staying