A personal story of surviving a stroke and why younger people may still be at risk | HealthLink

Added: 2026-05-24

[00:00:00]Washington State Representative Jamila Taylor has served her district in federal way since 2021. She called the 2025 legislative year contentious. I was dealing with policy that was getting the attention of the federal government.

[00:00:14]>> But this isn't a story about politics.

[00:00:16]It's her story of surviving a stroke at the young age of 49.

[00:00:21]>> I was like, "Well, how is this possible?

[00:00:23]I mean, I I survived a very ugly session, um very tough situations. I You know what? I need to stay alive to help my mom and my brother. How can I be the one to be in the hospital right now?"

[00:00:36]>> Josh Snevely is the stroke program chair for Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. He treated Representative Taylor during her recovery. Snevely explains hemorrhagic strokes are often due to high blood pressure, and adding any stress on top of that could increase risk, even among people as young as their 30s and 40s.

[00:00:54]These stressors just add up over time, and if you're not paying attention to your health, if you're not paying attention to to the numbers, um you know, if you're not seeing your health care provider regularly, these things just accumulate until a breaking point happens.