Stroke Victim Thanks First Responders and Memorial Stroke Team
Karen Z, 68, is a stroke victim who considers herself very lucky and yet whose life will never be the same. She represents 10 percent of the victims who recover completely from a stroke without any signs of deficits. She will resume her summer teaching profession in Canada after she leaves her seasonal home in Hallandale Beach in the spring. Because she is grateful to continue life as normal, she felt it was vital to personally meet and thank the individuals responsible for saving her life. Little did she know that the meet and greet she had scheduled and envisioned would turn into quite the educational experience and much more.As she arrived with edible treats to the Hallandale Beach Fire-Rescue station, she was met by Memorial Neuroscience Institute physicians and staff and the first responders who made it possible for her to walk out of the hospital without visible signs of a stroke. There, she learned how an ongoing collaboration between Memorial and local first responders is helping stroke victims get quicker care in South Florida.Karen was unaware that she was experiencing stroke-like symptoms while driving one evening. The next morning, she experienced weakness on the right side of her body and had trouble with her speech. Neighbors found her paralyzed on the floor and called first responders.“I remember weakness,” she explained to the team at the station. “I remember having a fuzzy vision and then the next morning I couldn’t move my right arm nor see out of the right side. I didn’t even know I was having a stroke.” Fire Rescue promptly evaluated her at her home and called a pre-hospital stroke alert to Memorial Regional. The Hallandale first responders then used Facetime to communicate with the Memorial Neurocritical Care team to assess during the ride to the hospital.“The hospital is reacting to our call on the field,” said Hallandale Beach Fire-Rescue Chief Mark Ellis.