In 2017, in the weeks leading up to her 40th birthday, Margaret Duden started having unusual symptoms, which included pain in her left shoulder and involuntary movements in her left arm and leg.
As her birthday neared, her symptoms intensified, and her speech inflections changed.
Duden didn't seek medical attention, attributing the symptoms to stress, but one day after her 40th birthday, she visited a doctor and an MRI revealed she was having a stroke.
It took Duden three month to make a full recovery, but she is at an increased risk for a second stroke.
Duden is part of the local campaign Go Red for Women, which raises awareness that heart disease and strokes are the No. 1 killer of women -- more women than have heart attacks and strokes each year, according to the American Heart Association.
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National Wear Red Day is Friday, and on Saturday from 11 am to 3 p.m. all those interested can see Duden at the Go Red Health Expo Mall of America.
To learn more information about the Go Red for Women campaign or cardiovascular disease check out www.heart.org/minnesota and www.goredforwomen.org.