A stroke can happen to anyone at any age. Globally, about one in four adults over the age of 25 will have a stroke in their lifetime. The good news is stroke is often treatable, especially when symptoms are recognized quickly and emergency care is sought immediately.
World Stroke Day, observed annually on October 29, raises awareness of the warning signs of stroke and the importance of calling 911 at the first sign of symptoms.
This World Stroke Day, the American Stroke Association encourages everyone to learn and share the BE FAST acronym, a simple way to remember the key warning signs of stroke:
- B is for loss of balance
- E is for eyes and loss of vision or double vision
- F is for face drooping
- A is for arm weakness
- S is for speech difficulty
- T is time to call 911
Recognizing these signs and acting quickly could save your life or the life of someone you love. For UHS stroke patient Bill Horstman, the quick actions of his loved ones and access to specialized stroke care close to home made a life-changing difference.
Expert, coordinated stroke care close to home
Last November, on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Bill Horstman and his wife, Esther, were running errands – getting their snowblower ready to tackle an oncoming snowstorm – when Mrs. Horstman noticed that her husband was breathing oddly and his head dropped to his chest.
She immediately drove him to the Emergency Department (ED) at UHS Chenango Memorial Hospital (CMH), where an evaluation indicated a possible stroke.
His daughter, Carin Dietrich, immediately rushed to the hospital to be with her family. Ms. Dietrich was very concerned about her father’s health, not only because of the possible stroke, but because he had been diagnosed with a form of blood cancer the previous spring. Fortunately, the availability of care locally helped assuage that concern.
As Norwich residents, Ms. Dietrich said that she and her family are so grateful to have access to a good hospital close to home. “We are very lucky to have Chenango Memorial here for us, because we are about an hour away from Binghamton, Utica and Syracuse. A one-hour trip is okay when you’re going shopping, but not when you need urgent medical care.”
When Ms. Dietrich arrived at UHS CMH, she was shown into the ED, where her stepmother, her father's twin brother and a nurse were waiting for her. “They let me stand right outside my dad’s door while they were working on him and then brought us in as soon as he was stabilized,” Ms. Dietrich said.
When Ms. Dietrich was allowed into her father’s room, she was very grateful for the time she was able to spend holding his hand and talking to him. She said that it was important for her father to hear her voice and feel that familiar contact. “I noticed that he was doing things like squeezing my hand and moving his feet, and eventually he opened his eyes,” said Ms. Dietrich.
As he became more responsive, the doctor asked him to perform a few maneuvers to get a sense of how the stroke might have affected him. “He was able to touch his nose, lift his leg and bend his knee,” Ms. Dietrich recalled. “He struggled with the one leg – but my dad is very stubborn. He slammed the leg down and then lifted it higher than the other one! The doctor and I were impressed with that.”
A head CT scan showed that Mr. Horstman had a blood clot near the back of his skull. The lead nurse administered tPA, a clot-busting medication commonly used to treat an ischemic stroke.
Once Mr. Horstman was stabilized, the care team at UHS CMH felt it would be best for him to be transferred to UHS Wilson Medical Center, where he could be cared for in the region’s only designated Comprehensive Stroke Center. As the team prepared Mr. Horstman for transfer, his daughter continued to notice the compassionate care and attention to detail displayed by the ED staff.
“The nurse was excellent. She was disconnecting and reconnecting everything, and getting ready to ride with him to the hospital – which I found to be incredible,” said Ms. Dietrich. “It was a cold, wet day. As they were preparing to wheel him out, I saw his chest was exposed. I said, ‘He’s a very cold person. Can we possibly get him another warm blanket?’ and the doctor himself got it. Then we were all able to stand there and say goodbye as they took him out. They never rushed us at all. I felt that was really nice of them.”
This is the sort of care that supports the patient both medically and emotionally, and it is what UHS team members are proud to provide.
Two days after his arrival at UHS Wilson Medical Center, on Thanksgiving Day, Mr. Horstman was up walking and visiting with family. “You would never have known that he had had a stroke,” said Ms. Dietrich. “I called the nurses at UHS CMH that morning to let them know how good he was doing, and they just couldn’t believe it.” Mr. Horstman made a swift recovery and was released about a week later – healthy and rejuvenated thanks to compassionate care that not only treated him, but his entire family.
Mr. Horstman's story is a reminder that recognizing stroke symptoms and acting quickly can make all the difference. This World Stroke Day, take time to learn the BE FAST warning signs and be prepared to call 911 immediately if a stroke is suspected.
Learn more about stroke care and the designated stroke center at UHS Wilson Medical Center.