EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT
Monica enjoying some special “pet therapy” with Cooper in her Cedar Rapids home.
A young stroke survivor’s story Monica Link was used to severe headaches. The 43-year-old Cedar Rapids woman experienced migraines for much of her life so when she developed one on Dec. 1, 2019, she rested and waited for it to subside. Her husband Jeff noted this one was different. “This migraine seemed a lot worse than others Monica had previously,” Jeff recalls. “Usually by midday she’s starting to
6 | unitypoint.org
feel a little better but this one went into the evening. It was around dinner time before she even felt like eating.” “That evening I was opening a box of candy canes and my daughter noted I was having trouble with my left hand and said something about my face,” shares Monica. “I kept trying to open the box.”
