ABU DHABI A Filipina woman has been lying in a coma for the past six months following a paralytic stroke at a gym in Abu Dhabi.
Elvira Cadiz Malveda, 42, was rushed to Shaikh Khalifa Medical City on January 14 this year when she developed fits and collapsed in the gym bathroom minutes after a workout session.
The following day she was transferred to Al Rahba Hospital and has been there ever since. Medical reports showed she suffered a brain hemorrhage.
High blood pressure
While it’s not immediately known if Malveda had a precondition, studies have shown that people with high blood pressure are at a risk of an aneursym rupture.
High blood pressure is the leading cause of subarachnoid hemorrhage. Heavy lifting or straining can cause pressure to rise in the brain resulting in a hemorrhage, says a report.
Dutch researchers have identified and quantified eight potential trigger factors for intracranial aneurysm rupture, and vigorous physical activity is one of them.
While the exact trigger is not known in Malveda’s case, doctors have now declared her a quadriplegic. She cannot move and has to be tube fed. Marilyn Pascual, one of Malveda’s two sisters said they are devastated.
“She worked as a saleswoman and was very active and healthy. Now she responds to her surroundings only by blinking her eyes. It breaks my heart to see her in this condition,” she said.
“We are worried because the doctors have told us to take her home as she requires long-term care.
“The hospital is pushing for a discharge by next week. But where can we take her,” asked a desperate Pascual, who has a special needs child and an ailing husband to take care of. “My husband suffers from pulmonary fibrosis and is on life support. He was working as a nurse but had to quit his job because of his illness.
“Most of what I earn is spent on the treatment of my husband and daughter. But I cannot abandon my sister who is single and has nobody to depend on,” said Pascual, who works as a nurse in Abu Dhabi.
“I don’t know how much her long-term treatment will cost. I will have to find a rehabilitation centre for her either in Abu Dhabi or back in the Philippines. I am counting on the generosity of the people of this country to help me and my family in this dire situation,” said Pascual.
From the Medical Report: Now, she is afebrile and has only mild thick secretions from the tube and clinically she is quadriplegic dysarthric and is able to communicate through eye blinking. This is minimal movement of all four limbs.
YOUSPEAK: Do you consult a doctor before hitting the gym?
