JENISON, Mich. — What started as a normal school field trip quickly turned into something else for 8-year-old Amelia.
"Her teacher called me and she said, 'Amelia fell.' They tried to get her to stand up, and she couldn't stand up… that's when the teacher knew something was going on," Amelia's mother Cari Dennany said.
Amelia was rushed to Helen DeVos Children's Hospital, where doctors delivered unexpected news.
"I was, of course, really shocked, because I don't even know anybody in my family who's had a stroke, so I really didn't know much about it," Dennany said.
Amelia spent 12 days in the hospital before transferring to Mary Free Bed for rehabilitation.
Dr. George Lara Collado with Helen DeVos Children's Hospital says Amelia was able to receive a clot-busting medication because she arrived in time.
"Definitely was an interesting case," Collado said.
The medication she received — called TPA — had never been given to a pediatric patient at Helen DeVos before.
"I think Amelia was a fresh reminder of why I do medicine," Collado said.
Collado added that stroke symptoms in children can look like they do in adults, but are often missed.
"We are talking about facial droop, weakness in one side, confusion, and slower speech. But as you can tell, this can be very challenging for those who cannot speak or walk yet," Collado said.
Back at school, Christy Tease, Amelia's teacher, says her decision to call 911 was instinct.
"I think a lot of the staff members at Bauerwood would have acted in the same way. I think we are kind of, especially in lower elementary, you just kind of, you wrap around kids, you love them almost first before you educate them," Tease said.
Tease has been by Amelia's side with hospital visits and teaching her from home until Amelia can return to school.
"It just felt good to see her and kind of put our hands on her a little bit, just, you know, just to remind us all the good things that have happened since the day it happened, and how far she's come," Tease said.
After 32 days, Amelia is finally heading home.
She'll continue outpatient therapy and follow up with doctors, but her family is focused on one thing.
"Be in the moment… accepting help has been really important," Dennany said.
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