Frank’s Story: Saved By a Watchful Aunt
Frank Dobson Jr. was enjoying a day visiting family and watching football at the home of his wife’s aunt. Then, all eyes turned to him.
When he bent down to tie his shoes, his wife’s aunt noticed something not quite right. She exclaimed, “He’s stroking! He’s having a stroke!” Someone else called out, “Call 911!”
On arrival, paramedics found Frank was weak, leaning to one side, and his face drooping—all signs of a stroke. At Miami Valley Hospital, Frank was quickly given tenecteplase (TNK), a thrombolytic medication that cleared the clot that blocked blood flow to his brain.
Frank’s condition improved quickly after getting the medication, says vascular neurologist Steve Arkin, MD. He adds that Frank’s stroke affected an area of his brain in which he wasn’t even aware he was having a stroke. That’s why his wife’s attentive aunt was so important.
“Make sure that you follow the direction of people that know you, that know there’s something different about you, and who are able to get you to a place where we can help you out,” advises Dr. Arkin. “And if it turns out to be a false alarm, so be it.”
Frank, who, after therapy, is back in the classroom as an English professor, offers hope to others who have had strokes. “Stroke is not a dirty word, and you can recover and you can get better.”
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