An Ohio bride’s wedding day took a sudden and frightening turn when she suffered a stroke moments before she was due to walk down the aisle.
Anna Lasco was preparing to marry Connor Lasco in Rochester, New York, on September 5 when she suddenly heard a buzzing in her ear and began experiencing a medical emergency.
“I had this loud buzzing noise in my left ear. And suddenly my leg, left leg specifically, like, gave out under me,” Anna told WGAL 8.
She soon developed intense dizziness and vertigo, and her speech became noticeably altered.
“It sounded like I was intoxicated. People actually asked me if I was intoxicated,” Anna told the outlet.
Connor realized something was seriously wrong as soon as he saw his bride’s condition.
“Her eyes were very wide. And that’s really when I kind of felt something wasn’t normal,” he told the outlet.
After Anna lost the ability to walk, Connor carried her down the aisle. Once the ceremony ended, she was taken straight to the emergency room.
Ohio bride Anna Lasco was attending her wedding ceremony with her soon-to-be husband, Connor Lasco, in Rochester, New York, on September 5 when she experienced a medical emergency
Anna experienced severe dizziness, vertigo and altered speech before losing the ability to walk and being carried down the aisle by her husband
Anna was discharged from the hospital on September 22 and returned to her home in Columbus, Ohio
Doctors diagnosed Anna with a left vertebral artery dissection—a tear in the artery that supplies blood to the brain.
She was flown to Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, where she suffered a stroke and spent weeks confined to bed during her recovery.
Since the medical emergency, Connor has continued to keep their family, friends and supporters informed about Anna’s progress.
“The blood clot that initially caused the stroke has been dissolved. However, during the process of dissolving the clot, two additional strokes occurred in different parts of the brain,” Connor wrote in a Facebook update.
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He later shared that Anna had begun physical rehabilitation at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center as she worked to rebuild her strength.
On September 22, Anna left the hospital and returned home to Columbus, Ohio.
“I’m officially home! I’d like to thank everyone for the incredible outpouring of love, support, prayers and positive thoughts. I couldn’t be more grateful,” Anna wrote in a Facebook statement.
Dr. Faisal Aziz, chief of vascular surgery at Penn State Health, said the injury involved a tear inside a blood vessel. He explained that vertebral artery dissection can be difficult to identify because it may initially cause sudden dizziness, headaches, vertigo or a feeling of imbalance.
Connor has continued to update family, friends and supporters about Anna’s medical condition since her stroke on her wedding day
The couple plans to have a ‘wedding redo’ to celebrate their original ceremony festivities on their one-year anniversary, September 5 of next year
‘If the symptoms get worse, they can lead to double vision, blurred vision, sometimes even loss of vision in severe cases. And they can progress to slurred speech or trouble swallowing,’ Dr Aziz told the outlet.
Dr Aziz reported that the rare condition only affects roughly one to two people out of 100,000 every year. He told the outlet it can target younger adults without a clear cause and that symptoms should not be ignored.
The couple’s family has started a GoFundMe to raise financial support for medical bills and unexpected expenses since the incident.
‘Connor and Anna are strong, independent, and hardworking people who have never been ones to ask for help. They are usually the helpers. But right now, they need their family, friends, and community beside them,’ their family wrote in a fundraiser statement.
‘Their wedding day didn’t go as they dreamed, but their marriage began with Connor standing beside Anna through the hardest moment of their lives,’ their family wrote.
They have raised up to $56k of their 60k goal.
‘I don’t really have the words to describe this experience, nothing really seems adequate. But I will say I’m feeling positive, determined and grateful to be here today,’ Anna wrote in a Facebook statement.
The couple plans to have a ‘wedding redo’ to celebrate their original ceremony festivities on their one-year anniversary, September 5 of next year.
Our News Outlet has reached out to Anna and Connor Lasco for comments.
