Royal Oak Hospital Volunteer Saves Husband's Life

For Marj and Dick Russell of Royal Oak, Sept. 18 started off as any other autumn day. Marj read the morning paper while Dick, an 81 year-old-retired physical education teacher and coach, started his normal routine: breakfast, feeding the birds and squirrels, then off to shoot pool with a friend. But Dick recalls “at 10 minutes to nine,” his day took an unexpected turn.

“As soon as it hit me, I was numb. I could not talk,” he says.His wife quickly sat him down on the couch, to ensure he didn’t fall down.“I looked at his face and saw that one side was droopy. He couldn’t smile.  He couldn’t speak,” says Marj. “I called 911 immediately and told them ‘my husband is having a stroke.”

A long-time volunteer of Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, Marj recalls seeing posters and information in hospital newsletters about FAST, a campaign to increase awareness and educate people on the symptoms of a stroke.

Sunitha Santhakumar, director of Stroke Services, Beaumont, Royal Oak, explains FAST is a good way to evaluate a person to determine if they may be having a stroke, “F is for face, A is for Arms, S is for speech and T is for Time.” 

• Face: Look at the person’s face. Does one side droop? Can he smile?
• Arms: Can the person raise both arms. Does one drift downward?
• Speech: Is speech slurred or strange?
• Time: Call 911 immediately if you observe any of these signs. 

Thanks to his wife’s quick observation and call for help, Dick was brought by ambulance to Beaumont’s emergency center, where CT images showed a blood clot. Shortly after Marj’s arrival, she gave permission for the hospital staff to administer tissue plasminogen activator or tPA – a clot busting drug.

“tPA dissolves the blood clot and helps the blood flow to the area of the brain being deprived of blood,” explains Dr. Santhakumar. “If given within three hours, it may improve the chances of recovering from a stroke.”

Dick spent the next three days in the hospital recovering.

“The stroke team was fantastic. I was amazed how well it went,” he says.  “Marj saved my life by calling 911 and the docs saved my life again when I arrived at the hospital.”

While the retired gym teacher may be avoiding climbing tall ladders, he says he continues to stay active by riding a stationary bike and stretching.

“We’re so lucky to have Beaumont in our backyard,” says Marj.

Source: Beaumont Health Systems