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Hyvelle Ferguson-Davis is a woman of incredible strength, resilience, and purpose. After surviving a stroke, heart attack, and quadruple bypass surgery, she channeled her own traumatic health experiences into something that would empower others.
As the founder of Heart Sistas, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness about heart disease, stroke, and health disparities among women of color, Hyvelle is on a mission to ensure that other women don’t have to face the same struggles she did. Her journey, which spans years of health challenges and perseverance, now fuels her advocacy for better healthcare and prevention, particularly in communities that are often overlooked. Through her work, she is showing Black women everywhere that it’s never too late to take control of your health, no matter the obstacles.
In honor of National Stroke Awareness Month, Hyvelle opens up exclusively with MadameNoire about the harrowing moments leading up to her stroke and the misdiagnosis that nearly cost her life. She shares how her family’s unwavering support, especially her sister’s advocacy, was crucial in her survival. Despite the challenges of overcoming a stroke, a heart attack, and undergoing a quadruple bypass, Hyvelle found the strength to not only survive but thrive. In this interview, she reflects on the importance of listening to our bodies, the power of self-advocacy, and the critical role healthcare access plays in our well-being.
MadameNoire: Let’s start with your story. Take us back to the moment when you first started experiencing symptoms and how you were initially misdiagnosed.
Hyvelle Ferguson-Davis: It all began on February 29, 2014. I was at work, feeling a bit off, with a headache and some confusion. I decided to head home early. I don’t know how I made it home because it was like I had an intense headache. When I got there, I went straight to bed. My daughter woke me up at 3 PM, and I jumped right into “mom mode.” I tried to get back into my usual routine—cooking dinner, helping with my kids—but I couldn’t communicate properly. My daughter noticed something was wrong as she said she couldn’t understand what I was saying, so she called my sister, who insisted on calling an ambulance.
When the EMS arrived, my blood pressure was dangerously high- I think it was 250/190, but I still didn’t want to go to the hospital. I didn’t go because I had a test to take, I crammed the whole night prior; I had to cook dinner; my son had a soccer game, and going to the hospital was not really a part of my schedule. I told the EMS to go away and pushed it aside, thinking I had too much to do. I sat there and finished my meal, and then I went to bed. It wasn’t until my husband came home when I woke up, because I had to go to school, that I started to feel my foot go limp. I started putting on my clothes and my husband was like, “No. You’re going to the doctor!” We fought tooth and nail as he took me in his car to the ER. I got there, and a nurse came in, she triaged me and said possible stroke. That’s when my life got really quiet.
That sounds like a terrifying experience. What happened next?
When I arrived, the doctors didn’t initially catch the severity of what was happening. They thought it might be a transient ischemic attack (TIA), and they were going to release me. My sister came in at that point, and she was like “NO! She’s not right.” At this point, I still had symptoms—like a drooping face, my hands started to curl in, and I had an inability to speak clearly—which were all missed. Luckily, my sister fought to keep me there. Finally, a CT scan revealed I had suffered an ischemic stroke at just 41 years old. It was life-changing, and it took me to a place of uncertainty. I couldn’t move, speak, or even take care of myself.
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