Strokes don’t happen to healthy 34-year-olds. They don’t target vibrant school counselors who spend their days helping elementary students through their troubles or young mothers with active lives filled with laughter, love and a commitment to their growing families. At least, that’s what Courtney Daniel always thought – until the unthinkable happened.

There were no warning signs that Monday morning in April. No red flags signaling what was to come. A former college athlete still active on the tennis court, Courtney was the picture of health. Her mind was on the usual tasks of a working mom: preparing for her and her husband to leave for his company retreat to Naples, doing laundry, tidying the house and arranging childcare for her two young children.

But instantly, everything changed.

While helping a third grader open a cookie package during lunch duty, Courtney’s left side suddenly went paralyzed. Her vision blurred, and her walkie-talkie felt heavy in her hand. She couldn’t move or speak. She had been laughing moments earlier but now found herself frozen, helpless. She could only watch as concern spread across the student’s face.

“Miss Daniel, are you okay?” the child asked. Courtney couldn’t answer. Something was seriously wrong.

She was having a stroke.

When minutes matter

Just before losing her motor skills, Courtney felt an unusual jolt in her brain during a conversation with a teacher – likely the moment the clot struck. Her quick-thinking colleagues immediately called 911, and within minutes, paramedics rushed her to Wellstar North Fulton Regional Medical Center, which is a Comprehensive Stroke Center. The ambulance ride felt surreal as she listened to the paramedics count down her arrival: “Nine minutes out… six minutes out… three minutes out…”

At the hospital, Cody Franklin, Vascular Neurology and Neurosurgery Nurse Practitioner, greeted her at her gurney. “You’re going to be fine,” he told her. “You’re in the right place at the right time.” Courtney was terrified, but Cody’s calm reassurance put her at ease.

Miraculously, Courtney did arrive at Wellstar just in time. Had she been five minutes later, her outcome might have looked much different. Instead, she was immediately treated with a clot-busting medication within the critical “golden hour” for stroke survivors. This critical hour after a stroke is when swift intervention can mean the difference between life and death – or, in Courtney’s case, a full recovery.

At Wellstar, it wasn’t just the medical expertise or quick intervention that stood out to Courtney – it was the humanity and empathy behind it. Cody and Dr. Juan Carlos Martinez Gutierrez, a Vascular and Interventional Neurologist, approached Courtney’s treatment with unmatched professionalism and compassion, making her feel seen as a person, not just a patient.

“They treated me with such great bedside manner and made me feel like a human,” she recalls, her voice catching with emotion. “They never made me feel like something was wrong with me.”

Their kindness extended to Courtney’s entire family. While Courtney was treated, they kept her husband informed with regular updates and reassuring calls, knowing he was racing to the hospital in a panic after initially thinking his wife had merely fainted at school.

Miracle mom

Later, the hospital staff would marvel at Courtney’s rare case. Stroke patients are usually in their 60s or 70s, nurses repeatedly told her.

Courtney’s recovery defied the odds, too. While many stroke patients face months of intensive rehabilitation, she was home within three days. Her care team called her “a miracle,” astonished by how quickly she regained full control of her body. Within two weeks, she was back at work part-time, and by summer, she was once again caring for her two young children, ages 5 and 1, as usual.

“I got to come home and hold my children and have a normal life – a lot of people don’t get to do that,” she says.

Doctors discovered that Courtney had a condition called Patent Foramen Ovale (PFO) – a small hole in the heart that affects about 1 in 4 adults. It often goes undiagnosed until something serious occurs, like a stroke. In July, Courtney had a successful procedure at Wellstar to patch the hole, another step in her journey back to full health and ensuring her heart was stronger than ever.

While the stroke’s timing was terrifying, Courtney says there were several unexpected blessings. It happened on a Monday – the only day both her children attended the same daycare, making it easier for family to pick them up together. She was at work, surrounded by colleagues who could help, rather than alone at home with her young children. And the school year was almost over, giving her the summer to recover fully.

Life after stroke

The experience has changed Courtney’s outlook on life and family. The small, frustrating moments that once tested her patience are now precious reminders of what she almost lost.

“I embrace those moments a lot more now,” she says with a smile. “It’s put everything into perspective.”

Her marriage is stronger, too. “My husband had to face the question, ‘What would happen if she’s not here?’” Courtney says. “It made us realize how much we really need each other. Life would be a lot harder without one another.”

Even her 5-year-old son, shielded from the severity of her stroke, has processed it in his own way. When he heard his mom had a “hole in her heart,” he sweetly concluded, “Daddy has a bigger heart than Mommy.” Now, Courtney can reassure him that “Mommy’s heart is full again.”

In October, Courtney and her husband finally took that vacation they’d planned leading up to her stroke – not to Naples as initially intended, but to Key Biscayne. The trip was more than just a getaway; it was a celebration of life, survival and the renewed appreciation they carry into every day.

“We need to do more just us,” she told her husband. “You never know what could happen. I don’t want to ever look back with regrets.”

For the young mom who experienced the unthinkable, each day now brings a deeper gratitude for life’s simple gifts – watching her son thrive in pre-K, enjoying family dinners and embracing every moment spent with her loved ones.

Thanks to the Wellstar care team’s quick action, world-class expertise and compassionate care, Courtney’s stroke story proves that even in the darkest moments, brighter tomorrows are always possible.

Quick, expert stroke care saves lives and prevents lasting damage. Discover how Wellstar’s stroke team delivers safe, effective treatment using advanced technology.