The most exciting thing I have seen during my career in medicine
is the treatment that is now available to reverse strokes,
making it possible for paralyzed and speechless people to
return to normal lives. I have been practicing neurology since
1980, and when stroke reversal treatment became available in
the mid-1990s, it changed my professional life. The excitement
spilled over to the homefront as I began to tell my ophthalmologist
husband, Rob, stories about dramatic stroke reversals
and the amazing stroke team at Saint Luke’s Hospital in
Kansas City where I work.
Rob likes to talk to people. In fact, he is likely to engage the
person next to him in conversation wherever he is, and for
the past three or four years he has often brought up the
topic of stroke treatment. Universally, the people he talks to
are not aware of the symptoms of stroke or what treatment is available. Further, they do not know when or how to get
help for themselves or someone else.
Seeing an opportunity for “spreading the word, ”Rob wanted
to understand how the patients we were treating at Saint
Luke’s were getting to “the right place at the right time. ”The stories in this book are the result of personal interviews
he taped with patients and their families in his effort to
learn the stories behind the statistics. As you are about to
read, they are dramatic and emotional. |
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"The Introduction captured my attention: in a few short pages the authors outline the issues and the current state of stroke management for the population at risk for having a stroke. The dramatic outcomes made possible by the “chain of survival” have been skillfully woven into each case with a compelling first-person account of miracles when things go right: right patient, right timing, right facility and team, and right treatment. Education directed at the population at risk and by word of mouth is a powerful tool for stroke prevention, and I hope that this compact, engaging and informative publication will be widely disseminated to a wide range of audiences that should and can use it to improve the currently grim view for many of today’s patients unaware of the danger signs and the critical role of prevention. Kudos to the authors."
Charles B. Wilson M.D., DSc, MSHA
Professor Emeritus of Neurological Surgery at UCSF,
Director at Institute for the Future, Founding Director of the Brain Tumor
Research Center (BTRC) and the first professor to hold the Tong-Po Kan
Chair of Neurological Surgery at UCSF. |
"As a former journalist, I know a great story when I read one. Today, as a biotechnology executive, I know heroic medicine when I see it. This book is overflowing with both. Week in and week out, Marilyn Rymer and the stroke team at St. Luke’s prove that rapid response saves lives and preserves function in stroke patients. With the help of her physician husband, Marilyn now brings these success stories to the page. 911Stroke is more compelling than any medical drama on television—and every word is true."
Thomas Petzinger Jr.
Former Wall Street Journal reporter and columnist; co-founder of Knopp Neurosciences Inc.; CEO of LaunchCyte LLC
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 Our hope is that you will find the stories interesting and
informative and that they will inspire you to learn the
symptoms of stroke and how to get to the right place at the
right time in case you or somebody around you is affected
by a stroke.
Marilyn M. Rymer, MD
Saint Luke’s Hospital
Mid America Brain and Stroke Institute
Kansas City, Missouri |
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