When it comes to stroke, don’t play Russian Roulette with your life.
At 76 years old, Marilyn “Ms. Emmy” Gore, an African American woman from Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, has boldly conquered severe health challenges, including kidney disease, glaucoma that caused blindness in her left eye, coronary artery disease. Most recently, she beat a second stroke that almost left her completely disabled on her right side.
Marilyn has struggled with high blood pressure — referred to as “the silent killer” — for over forty years. This condition is one of the highest risk factors for stroke. In the US, one in three African Americans has hypertension. Black Americans have a higher prevalence of stroke (three times higher) and the highest death rate from stroke than any other racial group.
Also known as “mama” by her neighbors, the Brooklyn-born matriarch who worked for over 30 years as an X-ray technician in Brooklyn and Queens had her first stroke in March 2012. For three days, Marilyn felt fatigued, with weakness on one side, and eventually, when her speech became slurred, she hurried to NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. By the time she received a CT scan and neurological exam, doctors told her serious brain damage had already been done from a stroke.
She learned, “Time is brain,” as millions of neurons are lost with every minute of stroke. Marilyn was left with left-side paralysis and needed the support of a cane to walk. With physical therapy, she gradually improved.
On Tuesday, April 6, 2021, Marilyn suffered her second stroke after being admitted to NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital for severe chest pains. After being cleared by cardiology, she was looking forward to being discharged home until she noticed weakness on her right side and lost vision in her right eye. Marilyn quickly received tPA — the clot-busting drug, and thanks to quick timing by the hospital stroke team, her vision and health returned in 24 hours.
Dr. Ji Chong, director of the acute stroke program at NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist, cared for Marilyn that day. “After having a stroke, your risk for a second stroke increases significantly, especially if a patient has hypertension, is African American, or has a strong family history or genetic predisposition to stroke,” Dr. Chong says.
For Marilyn, the painful aftermath of stroke and heart disease has devastated her family. She had five other siblings, four of whom have died — two of her sisters from heart attacks and her big brother from a massive stroke. Her youngest brother, who is still alive, also had a stroke and was left severely disabled.
After surviving two strokes and seeing the devastating effects on her family, Marilyn wants other black families to be more proactive about managing hypertension and knowing the signs of a stroke.
“When it comes to stroke, don’t play Russian Roulette with your life,” she shares. Marilyn urges others to maintain normal blood pressure, eat a heart-healthy diet, and maintain a healthy weight with exercise.
As the weather warms up, Marilyn is walking more outdoors and spending as much quality time as possible with her two children and eight grandchildren.