Little Lexie fights back after second stroke

By Krystal Tomolillo

One month after the stroke that changed our lives, my little Lexie had another one. It was December 4th of last year when my two-year-old daughter, Lexie, started to feel unwell. As her mother, I knew something was seriously wrong. We rushed her to hospital, and the doctors confirmed my worst fear—Lexie had suffered a stroke

I was in disbelief. How could my baby, just two years old, have a stroke? We were discharged a week later, and the doctors told us that her recovery could take weeks, months, or even years. We focused entirely on helping her recovery, and she was making great progress.

But then, on January 5th, our world came crashing down again when Lexie had a second stroke. This time, she couldn't speak or move. Our hearts were bleeding, our little girl was so fragile. We have never felt so helpless and broken, the heartache we were feeling was indescribable. Every night, I would lie with her and beg her to speak to me in the morning.

As her mother, I went through hell and back. The uncertainty of those first days and weeks was the hardest part. Would she still be Lexie? Would she still laugh, talk, and play? For two weeks, she didn’t speak to us, and it tore me to pieces. I stayed as strong as I could for her and made it my mission to be her biggest advocate and support person. I stayed with her the entire seven weeks she was in the hospital.

It was also tough on our family. For my son Adrian, it was hard not having mum home. He was carted from place to place as we navigated his care too. My mother helped a lot, especially since Adrian started Prep this year. It was sad not being there for him as much as I wanted. My husband Simon also struggled with being away from Lexie, just as I struggled being away from Adrian.

Over the next few weeks, Lexie had to learn to talk, eat, sit up, and walk all over again. Watching her slowly regain her abilities and amaze everyone involved in her care was incredible. Despite suffering two strokes and being left with a brain injury and visual impairment, Lexie continues to amaze us every day. Her strength, resilience, and determination make us so proud to be her parents.

Not knowing what the future holds for Lexie is the most difficult part. Lexie’s therapy schedule is intense, with speech, occupational, and physical therapy taking up most of our week. Her future is busy, but she is such a brave and strong little girl. Lexie is funny and cheeky and loves her therapy team. Her healing is our priority right now.