After a stroke at 14, she vowed to walk at her high school graduation

Bella Chambasis was 14 years old when she started having daily nosebleeds, nausea and exhaustion that made getting dressed difficult.

“Then I started to get this other symptom where I would throw up,” she said.

One day, Bella was struggling so much that her mom, Deann Hurley, rushed her to the hospital near their home in East Haven, Connecticut.

Doctors discovered Bella was anemic and experiencing kidney failure. Her condition deteriorated so quickly that she was placed on a ventilator. Then she began coughing up blood. Further testing led doctors to diagnose Bella with vasculitis, an inflammatory disease in which the immune system causes inflammation of blood vessels. It can lead to swelling and reduced blood flow to various organs, including, but not limited to, the kidneys.

Within days, Bella required 13 blood transfusions. She was transported to another hospital, where she spent months undergoing dialysis.

Just when she seemed to be healing, Bella developed a heart infection and a mass on a heart valve. Doctors gave her blood thinners to prevent clotting. Still, days later, she suffered a massive stroke.

“She started moving weird, just not normal, and had this blank stare,” Deann said. “When I pressed the call button, it was chaos. It was the scariest, scariest moment of my life.”

Months of treatment and recovery

Surgeons placed Bella into a coma and performed a craniotomy, a procedure that removes a piece of the skull to relieve pressure on the brain.

When Bella woke up, she heard her mom and doctors talking. Then she began singing her favorite Billie Eilish song, “When the Party’s Over.”

Bella quickly realized that she couldn’t move the left side of her body.

“I was trying to wiggle my toes and open my left hand, but I couldn’t,” she said.

So began her long road to recovery.

Starting high school in a wheelchair

In September 2022, Bella returned to school. Because her left side was still weak, she used a wheelchair. Her voice also was softer, making it hard to be heard at times.

“A lot of kids didn’t know how to talk to me after I came back in a wheelchair,” she said. “Some thought it was scary.”

A graduation-day goal becomes reality

The summer before her senior year of high school, Bella started physical therapy with the hope of walking across the stage at graduation to receive her diploma. Her inspiring goal drew local media attention, adding to the anticipation of everyone at the ceremony.

When her name was called at graduation, Bella stood up from her wheelchair and walked across the stage. Her roughly 200 fellow graduates rose to their feet in support.

“There wasn’t a dry eye in the room,” Deann said. “It was such a beautiful moment.”

It was loud, too. Folks were screaming, clapping and stomping, with the sound echoing across the football field.

“A girl that was after me walked past me and goes, ‘You did amazing,’” Bella said. “A few people that were in my classes tapped me on the shoulder, like, afterward and were like, ‘You did great.’”

New goals: Building strength and mobility

Now 18, Bella still undergoes physical and occupational therapy several times a week. She focuses on strengthening her arms and legs, improving her balance and walking with a cane.

“It’s still pretty hard to do things on my left side,” she said. “I still get tired pretty easily.”

That doesn’t stop her from setting new goals. Next up, she is working on strengthening her leg muscles so she can walk longer. She is also learning to transfer independently from her bed to her wheelchair and back, so she can gain more freedom in daily life.

More than her progress, her attitude and determination impressed her physical therapist, Jadean Hoff.

“She didn’t have that typical teenager ‘whatever’ attitude,” Hoff said. “She was actively engaged, motivated to improve, and always had a smile on her face. That’s what drove her to succeed.”

Why Bella wants to help other patients

While Bella’s health issues have left lasting effects on her mobility and vision, she refuses to let them stop her from moving forward.

“I’ve learned to never give up and stay positive,” she said. “It’s a waiting game, so you have to be very, very patient.”

Her mom agreed. “She’s been through more than most adults,” Deann said. “But she’s stronger than she realizes.”

Bella wants others who are facing health challenges to know they’re not alone. “People in wheelchairs aren’t scary,” she said. “We’re just people. You can come talk to us.”

She hopes to personally impact other kids in similar situations by working in healthcare as a nurse, neurologist or cardiologist. She is planning to start taking classes at her local community college this fall.

“I understand what they’re going through. I understand their pain,” Bella said. “I want to be there to let them know: Never give up. Stay positive. Manifest your best.”

The Stroke Family Warmline connects survivors and caregivers with trained specialists who provide support, information or just a listening ear. The Stroke Family Warmline is open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central. Call 1-888-4-STROKE.