\u201cIt all happened so quickly,\u201d her sister-in-law Chloe, 30, said. \u201cThe only symptom she had was a bit of shoulder and back pain, she thought it might be backache or her period starting.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, Gorman later started struggling to breathe and lost feeling in her arms and hands. She was rushed to Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital and immediately placed on a ventilator to help her breathe.<\/p>\n
![\"Gorman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/a1d1d5b8c2a23293ea685889fc077652.jpeg\"\/)
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Gorman Family \/ SWNS<\/p>\n
Shakira Gorman<\/p>\n
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now<\/a>!<\/p>\n After a day of testing and her health deteriorating, doctors ultimately determined that Gorman was suffering a spinal stroke.<\/p>\n Spinal strokes, which are very rare and account for less than 1% of all strokes, occur when there is a blockage in the blood supply to the spinal cord, according to the Cleveland Clinic<\/a>.<\/p>\n Those who suffer spinal strokes often experience sudden and intense neck or back pain, muscle weakness, and in severe cases, paralysis. They can be fatal or cause permanent disabilities.<\/p>\n Unfortunately, Gorman was one of those severe cases. She quickly ended up in the hospital\u2019s ICU, paralyzed and unable to speak.<\/p>\n \u201cShe is in the high dependency critical care unit and requires breathing tubes and lots of other life saving measures,\u201d her family said on a GoFundMe<\/a> page. \u201cShe is unable to speak and lip reading is required but due to medical equipment this can also be difficult. She has lost movement in both arms and is going to require therapy to retrain her muscles.\u201d<\/p>\n Gorman Family \/ SWNS<\/p>\n Shakira Gorman with her family<\/p>\n![\"Gorman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/765bbb7aa60e9c13f10496e127ad5200.jpeg\"\/)
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