Three Year old Girl Saved her Father who was Having a Stroke

This is such an amazing story that is really like a miracle. On July 4, 2018, little three-year old Mollie was home with her father, Trevor McCabe. Without any warning her 27-year-old father suffered a stroke and fell to the floor. The child who does not yet know how to read, used FaceTime and somehow managed to reach her mother, Devon McCabe, an ICU nurse in a hospital. She was crying so hard that her mother could not understand her, but little Mollie turned the phone around so that her mother could see her father lying on the floor. Her mother alerted a neighbor who called 911 and the mother reached home at the same time as the ambulance.

Time Equals Brain

When someone is having a stroke, time is crucial in the acute phase, and it is important to get them as fast as possible to the hospital. In fact, doctors use the phrase “time equals brain” as the sooner treatment for dissolving the clot begins, the less brain damage will occur. Research shows that starting treatment earlier results in less bleeding in the brain, a better chance  to walk and regain motor function, a better ability for living independently and a reduced rate of death. Every second counts, so this is quite a story and has made headlines all around the world. According to Devon, there is no doubt that little Mollie saved her father’s life.

Trevor’s blood clot in his brain was successfully dissolved. However, his brain began to swell and so the doctors had to perform an emergency operation on his brain and he also had to be put temporarily on a ventilator.

Hole in Heart can Lead to a Stroke

The doctors found that Trevor’s stroke happened because of a blood clot to his basilar artery at the front of his brainstem. While most strokes hit seniors, Trevor had a heart defect called a patent foramen ovale, (PFO), which was actually a hole in his heart that had not closed after he was born and this probably led to the stroke. This condition can cause blood to leak in the heart and if it forms a clot and travels to the brain it can cause a stroke. According to the American Heart Association, more than a quarter of the population have holes like this in their heart and they usually do not cause any problems. In fact, most people who have them do not even know about their existence.

Stroke

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stroke is a leading cause of mortality and disability in the United States. About 795,000 American adults experience a stroke each year and there are approximately 6 million stroke survivors in the United States. Stroke is the 5th cause of death in the United States.

Stroke Rehabilitation Improves Outcome

Participation in stroke rehabilitation which occurs in various settings (i.e., in-hospital, postacute care, outpatient settings and short-term rehabilitation facilities) has been determined to reduce stroke recurrence and improve better functional outcome and quality of life.

Ditmas Park Rehab and Care Center in Brooklyn, New York

Ditmas Park Rehab and Care Center in Brooklyn NY, a 5-star rehab facility has an outstanding reputation for stroke rehabilitation. To read more about stroke rehabilitation see our blog from February 22, 2018.

Brooklyn Hospitals near Ditmas Park Rehab and Care Center

New York Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital

NYU Langone Hospital—Brooklyn (formerly named NYU Lutheran Medical Center)

SUNY Downstate Medical Center – University Hospital of Brooklyn

NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County

Maimonides Medical Center

Conclusion

When a person is having a stroke time is crucial as the sooner treatment in a hospital is started, the better will be the outcome. Also, research has shown that the sooner stroke rehabilitation is started the better will be the chance to regain mobility, motor function and a better quality of life.