Nationwide — Shannel Pearmen, an African American mother from Baltimore, Maryland, almost died from a stroke just a week after giving birth. She now shares her story to raise awareness about maternal health and surviving life-threatening complications.
“It was supposed to be one of the happiest times of my life,” Shannel told People. “We had just had our first child. We were over the moon. But overnight, everything changed.”
Shannel, who was then 29 years old, was excited as a new mom. Her family had gathered to meet her newborn son, the first grandchild on both sides. But she started to get a persistent headache. At first, she thought it was just postpartum tiredness. By the next morning, the pain had grown worse, and her vision was blurry. Worried, she called her mother, a nurse, who told her to go to the hospital immediately.
Her pregnancy had mostly been smooth, but near her due date, Shannel developed sudden swelling, gained weight quickly, and had high blood pressure. Doctors did not take her concerns seriously at first. At 41 weeks, she was induced and eventually needed an emergency C-section. She finally held her son in the early morning hours, feeling both joy and exhaustion.
The danger returned after she went home. One week later, her headache and vision problems got worse. Hours passed in the ER before her mother demanded a CT scan. The scan showed a hemorrhagic stroke from a ruptured blood vessel. Shannel lost consciousness and had emergency brain surgery, during which doctors removed half of her skull to relieve swelling. When she woke up, she faced vision loss and an uncertain recovery.
Recovery was long and hard. Shannel wore a protective helmet for weeks, relearned basic tasks, and adjusted to life with a brain injury. Her family helped her continue breastfeeding while occupational therapy rebuilt her mobility and speech. She also dealt with migraines and memory problems. Despite all this, she shared her story to raise awareness about stroke risks and maternal health, especially for Black women.
Years later, Shannel and her husband Jared have two children. Her second pregnancy brought anxiety and PTSD, but she gave birth to a healthy daughter. Today, she focuses on managing migraines, spending time with her children, and living with gratitude. Her stroke changed her life, but she emphasizes making every day count and cherishing family moments.