Quick work by medics, hospital saved a life

On the morning of Aug. 20, my wife heard a disturbing crash coming from the upstairs den. After calling out to me and hearing no response, she quickly went upstairs to find me on the floor and unresponsive. Heart attack? Nope; a stroke! 911! Within 15 minutes the EMT’s arrived and took us to Providence St. Peter Hospital.

After the fastest ride I have ever had across town, the emergency room stroke team was ready for me. Led by nurse Todd and Dr. Bothwell, they quickly processed me and got me into a CT scan that determined the location of clot in my brain.

Within 90 minutes of the stroke event I was under an interventional radiologic procedure by Dr. Bozorgmanesh and his excellent team to stent my left carotid and to remove the clot from my brain. Within six hours after that, I had recovered 95 percent. By noon the next day I was essentially 100 percent recovered. A week later I was back at the Body Combat class at Fifth Avenue Fitness.

Big thanks to my wife, and to the EMT’s, the ED stroke team, the CT team, Dr. Boz’ and his team, the neurologists, and all the fine nurses and CNAs who cared for me with alacrity and skill. My excellent recovery was due to the stroke team’s decisive action, their speedy organization, and the timely application of their skills. With a stroke, time is of the essence; every minute counts.

This story was originally published November 24, 2015 at 3:19 PM with the headline "Quick work by medics, hospital saved a life."