Washington Rep. Jamila Taylor spoke about her experience after suffering a stroke and urged anyone at risk to pay attention.
SEATTLE — Older adults are often at higher risk for stroke, but doctors warn that younger people at risk are just as susceptible to cardiovascular disease.
A Washington state lawmaker learned a hard lesson and hopes her story will raise awareness about the risk of stroke.
washington congressman Jamila Taylor Has been serving her constituency in Federal Way since 2021. She called the 2025 legislative year particularly contentious.
“The policies I’m working on are of concern to the federal government,” Taylor said.
But this is not a story about politics. This is her story of surviving a stroke at age 49.
“I was like, okay, how is this possible? I mean, I went through a really ugly treatment, a really tough situation. I, you know what, I needed to live to help my mom and my brother. How could I be that person that’s in the hospital right now?” Taylor said.
In addition to his parliamentary duties, Taylor cares for his ailing mother and twin brothers who are on dialysis, as well as his father, who is battling lung cancer. Taylor herself had just recovered from fibroid surgery the year before.
“I wasn’t paying as much attention to everything as my own body,” she said.
Knowing she was under severe stress, she began receiving treatment. Then, in May 2025, as Taylor was getting ready for treatment, something went wrong.
“It’s kind of like when you wake up and you mistakenly slept on your arm and you think, oh, it stings, but you can’t, you know, really feel it. So you’re like, okay, let me shake it and get the blood flowing. But it seems like the blood never wakes up in my hand,” Taylor said.
She told her therapist to call 911 and medical help arrived quickly. The doctor later told her that she had Hemorrhagic stroke.
“I was stunned. What, what, what? No, no. And then they said, we need to get you to a specialist immediately,” Taylor said.
“A hemorrhagic stroke is a hemorrhagic stroke,” he said. Joshua SnavelyThe stroke program chair at Franciscan Health Virginia Mason, who treated Taylor during her recovery.
Hemorrhagic strokes are associated with high blood pressure, and any stress can increase the risk, even for those in their 30s and 40s, Snavely explained.
“These stresses build up over time. If you don’t pay attention to your health, if you don’t pay attention to the numbers, you know, if you don’t see your health care provider regularly, these stresses will build up until you hit a tipping point,” Snavely said.
About 3,300 adults in Washington state will die from stroke in 2024, according to latest data data From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
For Taylor, she’s glad she caught her stroke early – it was a frightening and eye-opening experience. She also realized she had gone too far.
“I was afraid to ask for help in a lot of areas when it came to caregiving. I thought I could do it all, but I really wasn’t good at it. And you know, I wasn’t being kind to myself,” Taylor said.
Her message to others: “Be aware, it’s okay to stop what you’re doing. Get help, see a doctor, go to the emergency room, get it checked out.”
So how do you tell if you’ve had a stroke?
Doctors developed the acronym “BE FAST” to help identify signs of:
- Second It’s for balance
- Second For use on the eyes, such as changes in vision
- F Suitable for sagging face
- one For arm weakness or numbness
- S for speech difficulties
- time It’s time to call 911
If you notice any of these symptoms, please call 911 immediately without waiting for them to go away.
