While Nick, Joe and Kevin Jonas’ mom, Denise, recently revealed that she had suffered a stroke, her sons have now opened up about what she’s been through.
Indeed, “The Jonas Brothers are grateful for their mom’s strength,” E! News noted. “Nearly two weeks after [Denise] shared she had previously suffered a basal ganglia stroke — which she said affected her cognitive thinking, speech and reasoning — the musicians gave an update on how she’s doing.”
Kevin Says His Mom Is a ‘Superhero’
Getty“She went through quite a journey, and we’re proud of her that she feels comfortable talking about it,” Joe told E! News during an interview that also included his brothers, Kevin and Nick. “I’m sure that will encourage a lot of other people out there.”
Kevin added, “She’s a very strong woman, and someone that’s amazing to look up to our whole life, and learn how to not only act around women, but also how to respect women.”
He went on to say, “Our mom is our superhero, so I feel like we try to celebrate her every time we’re with her or away from her.”
Denise Didn’t Know Hiccups Were a Sign of a Stroke in Women
GettyAlthough Denise didn’t reveal when she had suffered the stroke, she did open up about other aspects of the health scare while talking to the “Got It From My Momma” podcast (via an exclusive sneak peek for Us Weekly).
“It was what you call a basal ganglia [stroke, because] it was in the basal ganglia area of my brain, which affected my cognitive thinking, my speech [and] reasoning,” Denise said. “At certain times, I would have difficulty with my speech.”
“If I’m tired or hungry, I can fumble my words around and not think of the right words,” she added while discussing her symptoms. “Sometimes I can’t remember if it’s this or that, and I really can’t.”
Before getting a diagnosis, Denise noted that she had experienced “prior symptoms,” saying, “I didn’t realize it. I was at home [and] the symptoms that I had were that my blood pressure had been high. I had gone to three different doctors over the course of six months prior … and I woke up feeling like my arms are weird. It’s terrible, but it’s the only way I can describe it.”
On top of that, one morning she had hiccups, which she has “come to learn is the most missed symptom” of strokes in women.
“You won’t hear about it, but when I Googled it, it was the first thing that came up,” she explained. “Then, when I had gotten up to go to the restroom, I had a glass of water next to the sink. I was trying to get a glass of water and the movement wouldn’t happen. I was telling my hand, but my hand wasn’t listening to my brain.”
Going forward, Denise says, “[Doing things with my family is] the challenge now too. I don’t do things, really. It’s harder now to be in the moment and spontaneous. … Thankfully, I know my body, and I understand what things I should and shouldn’t do. I know how to say ‘no’ because I never really knew how to say [it] before.”
