INSIDE EDITION talks to the 33-year-old former marathon runner who suffered a stroke and was paralyzed after a particularly violent sneeze.
A 33-year-old former marathon runner is now confined to a wheelchair. Suzanne Aymeric suffered a stroke after she sneezed.
A sneeze can actually travel at speeds over 100 miles per hour.
Aymeric told INSIDE EDITION that right after she sneezed her neck felt sore. Then, two days later, she collapsed getting out of bed, paralyzed on the right side of her body.
She was rushed to an emergency room in Sacramento, where a CAT scan was taken of her brain. A large dark area on the scan shows dead brain cells caused by a massive stroke.
The sudden violent movement of Aymeric's sneeze tore a major artery in her neck.
"When people have a sneeze reflex they could hyperextend their neck rapidly and it could result in a tearing of the lining of blood vessel that's flowing to their brain," explains Dr. Alan Shatzel of Mercy Neurological Institute.
Aymeric is now struggling to regain movement, and the mom of an energetic 3-year-old can't believe she's wheelchair-bound because of a sneeze.
Doctors warn you should never hold a sneeze in, but if you think you've been injured after sneezing, seek immediate medical care.
