Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health care leaders are emphasizing the importance of understanding symptoms and risk factors of a stroke.
What You Need To Know
- Every year, nearly 800,000 people have a stroke, according to the CDC
- Proper training and a fast response can improve a patient’s outcome after a stroke
- Novant Health has trained and certified all EMS, AirLink and VitaLink team members in Advanced Stroke Life Support education
David Christy, a Wilmington-based artist, will never forget April 4, 2023. After playing his harmonica at a poolside gig, everything changed on his way back to the car.
“All I can remember is I went kind of weak and I fell,” Christy said, “And then I had no strength in my left side of my body. I couldn’t support, couldn’t stand at the truck, and a lot of pain in my left side.”
It was a stroke, caused by a blocked blood vessel in Christy’s brain. Luckily, Christy got the care he needed quickly — something that can make all the difference for a stroke patient.
“People acted really quickly and then the protocols were in place and the ability for the emergency physician and everybody else to do what they needed to do,” said Christy. “I can’t say it saved my life, but it certainly kept me from having a lot of damage, really a lot of damage.”
Christy was taken care of by Novant Health paramedics who were trained in Advanced Stroke Life Support, or ASLS. It’s an advanced training based on the latest data and research from the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association.
“The paramedics took action,” Christy said. “They had IVs and stuff going. Whatever they did helped, and got me right to the hospital and got me into I suppose a surgery suite. I really don’t know, it’s um, they got into my head, got the clot, pulled it out, and here I am.”
With ASLS, they were able to preserve brain cells and improve the overall outcome of his stroke, which is something that Christy has seen firsthand.
“Everything came back so very quickly,” Christy said. “So I’m just really grateful for that.”
Christy knows it could have been much worse. Not all stroke patients are as lucky, and some see lifelong changes after. He says he’s happy to be able to do what he loves again after a short recovery.
“Gratitude isn’t really the full word. It’s just really, gratitude, grateful, astounded, it’s incredible," Christy said.
Thanks to the Coverdell Grant, Novant Health says it received funding to train and certify EMS, AirLink and VitaLink team members in New Hanover County and surrounding counties in ASLS.
If you suspect someone may be having a stroke, it’s important to act fast and remember the symptoms.
You can use the word "fast" to help spot a stroke.