October 10, 2021, a day that started like any other day for Amy Tisdale, but before that day was over, her life would be changed forever.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was a full-time travel agent, involved at my church, didn\u2019t miss any activities with my kids,\u201d said Stoke victim Amy Tisdale.<\/p>\n
But then there was the night that changed everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wanted to put my feet up, but I couldn\u2019t move my left arm to reach the handle. And didn\u2019t understand why I couldn\u2019t move my arm,\u201d said Tisdale.<\/p>\n
Her husband Matt, recognized the signs of a stroke immediately.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was watching a Dallas Cowboys football game, but they did not cause the stroke,\u201d said Tisdale.<\/p>\n
She tells about the night with humor, but things were much more serious at the time.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey did a CT and confirmed that I had a stroke, but I had a blood clot in the right side of my brain,\u201d said Tisdale.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She would have emergency surgery to remove the clot; however, after the surgery, her brain began to swell<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, they had to take part of my skull off, to give the brain a place to swell,\u201d said Tisdale.<\/p>\n
Tisdale would go through many other challenges and still undergoes physical therapy today.<\/p>\n
\u201cGod is the only reason that I am still here, and he left me here for a purpose, and I believe it\u2019s to help other people that are walking through trials themselves,\u201d said Tisdale.<\/p>\n
Through her challenges, she has written multiple books.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first one I did is called \u201cThe scars tell the story\u201d, said Tisdale.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
She is also doing something else she never saw herself doing, participating in pageants.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s for people with mobility disabilities; you can still walk,\u201d said Tisdale.<\/p>\n
She entered the pageant and now holds the crown as Ms. Wheelchair Oklahoma USA and is now qualified to compete in the national pageant.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m nervous about the national.<\/p>\n
For the local pageant, Tisdale submitted a speech online, but for the national, she will be on stage in Dayton, Ohio.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s an evening wear, and round robin interviews with the judges, and then an on-stage interview, no swimsuit, no talent, and I was grateful for that,\u201d said Tisdale.<\/p>\n