An international flight was forced to make an emergency landing after a young woman suffered a near-fatal stroke. Marciela Hernandez Quezada, 35, was on a 14-hour flight from Turkey to Mexico on the 30th of May when she realized she hadn't moved for almost 8 hours.
Soon after, she noticed she could no longer speak to the people sitting near her when they started asking questions. She then collapsed mid-flight, causing the doctor on board to give her oxygen and urge the crew to make an emergency landing in Houston.
Upon arriving at Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston, doctors found Hernandez Marciela was completely paralyzed in her right leg and partially paralyzed in her right arm.
She also 'could not comprehend what was being told to her.'
Doctors believe her failing to get up for several hours on the plane and not drinking water caused her blood to thicken and pool in her legs.
This most likely triggered a blood clot in her leg that traveled to her brain, cutting off blood flow and causing a stroke, which is on the rise in young healthy people like Hernandez Quezada.
She said in a video from the hospital: 'I was kind of in shock because I knew I was healthy and I don't smoke. I don't think. And I thought, "Wow, how is this possible?"
'I realized the problem was I didn't move in the airplane. I didn't even go to the toilet. I didn't stand up the whole flight.'
Experts believe sitting for four to six hours or more without getting up causes blood to collect in the legs instead of flowing back to the heart due to muscles not moving as much as they would from getting up and walking around.
Cramped airline seats also restrict blood flow to the legs.
Meanwhile, dehydration caused by either not drinking enough water or opting for soda or alcohol on a plane can thicken the blood. All of these factors make blood more prone to forming leg clots, called deep vein thrombosis, and travel to the lungs or brain.
Health authorities recommend getting up every two to three hours on a long-haul flight to regulate blood flow to the rest of the body.
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