Federal Way Lawmaker Warns Younger Adults About Stroke

Washington state Rep. Jamila Taylor is using her own medical emergency to warn younger adults that stroke is not only an older person’s disease. Taylor, a Democrat who represents Federal Way, said she suffered a hemorrhagic stroke on May 6, 2025, at age 49 after months of stress, caregiving demands and untreated high blood pressure. In interviews published in May 2026, she said she initially struggled to understand how she could be having a stroke at her age. Doctors who treated her said her case reflects a broader problem: more adults in their 30s, 40s and early 60s are arriving with serious cardiovascular risks that often go unchecked. ### What did Jamila Taylor say happened that day? Taylor told KING 5 that she noticed something was wrong as she prepared for a virtual therapy appointment in May 2025. She said one arm felt numb and heavy, and the sensation did not pass. During the call, she told her therapist to call 911 because she thought she was having a stroke. (king5.com) Virginia Mason Franciscan Health said Taylor then lost consciousness and was taken by ambulance to an emergency room before being transferred to St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma for advanced neurologic care. Her legislative office said on May 7, 2025, that she had experienced a stroke the previous afternoon and was in stable condition. ### Why did she say she missed the warning signs? (king5.com) Taylor said the 2025 legislative year had been especially stressful and that she was also caring for several sick family members. KING 5 reported that she was helping her mother and twin brother, who were on dialysis, and her father, who was battling lung cancer, while also recovering from fibroid surgery the prior year. (vmfh.org) In the Virginia Mason Franciscan Health account, Taylor said she did not realize how much caregiving had taken out of her until her own life was at risk. She said her blood pressure was high and that she had stopped paying attention to her own health while trying to care for everyone else. ### What kind of stroke did doctors say she had? Joshua Snavely, stroke program chair for Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, said Taylor had a hemorrhagic stroke, meaning bleeding in the brain. (king5.com) KING 5 reported that Snavely linked hemorrhagic strokes to high blood pressure and said added stress can increase risk, including in people in their 30s and 40s. (vmfh.org) The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke says fast emergency care is critical because stroke treatment works best when patients get help immediately. The CDC says stroke symptoms can include sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, vision problems, facial drooping, arm weakness or numbness, and trouble speaking. ### Are strokes actually rising among younger adults? (king5.com) CDC researchers reported in May 2024 that self-reported stroke prevalence in the United States increased 14.6% among adults ages 18 to 44 and 15.7% among adults ages 45 to 64 from 2011-2013 to 2020-2022. That report said the overall increase was 7.8% nationwide. Virginia Mason Franciscan Health said its own regional data showed a 22.5% increase in stroke patient admissions from 2023 to 2025. (ninds.nih.gov) The health system said St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma saw a 19% increase in stroke admissions among people ages 46 to 65 over the same period. ### What are doctors telling younger adults to do now? Dennis Wang, a neurointerventional surgeon at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, said high blood pressure can be dangerous even when patients feel fine. (cdc.gov) VMFH said a normal resting blood pressure is under 120/80 mmHg and defined hypertension as 130/80 mmHg or higher. The American Stroke Association says people should remember B.E. (vmfh.org) F.A.S.T. — balance, eyes, face, arms, speech and time to call 911. Taylor’s account and her doctors’ advice point to the same message: do not wait out sudden symptoms, and do not assume age rules out a stroke. May is American Stroke Month, and Taylor’s story is now being featured by KING 5 and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health as part of that awareness push. (vmfh.org) Her legislative office’s last public health update on the episode was issued on May 7, 2025, and current prevention guidance remains available from the CDC, the American Stroke Association and VMFH. (king5.com) (stroke.org)