LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — A 26-year-old in the University of Kentucky Wind Symphony knows the meaning of music.
The Texas native grew up learning from his father, who was a band director. That helps this graduate student, Adiel Najera, become quite the trumpet player.
Playing on a Thursday morning at the auditorium at UK HealthCare isn't typical for Adiel.
"We perform primarily at the Singletary Center for the Arts," he said.
Almost a year ago, April 10 to be exact, the then-25-year-old suffered a series of strokes.
"I kind of experienced that fatigue, the shortness of breath, the pains in my chest," Najera said. "There was nothing leading up to it that showed signs or signals that pointed in the direction of, oh you're going to have a stroke one day."
He had two brain surgeries, one heart surgery and multiple strokes. None of that is quite the typical tune for a 25-year-old.
"It's quite uncommon, but not as uncommon as you might think," said Dr. David Dornbos III, an assistant professor of neurosurgery at UK HealthCare.
"The reason he had a stroke in the first place is because he had a tear in one of the arteries in his neck," Dornbos said.
Both Najera and Dornbos encourage people to seek medical care if symptoms are unfamiliar.
