October 17, 2024, started out like any other day for Steven Payne—until suddenly, it wasn’t. When he went to find his wife, Karen, she immediately recognized something was wrong.
“She looked at me and said, ‘Sit down,’” Steven recalls. “She told me to smile, and I guess I couldn’t. By then I knew something wasn’t right. She said, ‘Steve, you’re having a stroke.’”
Karen called 911 right away. Within minutes, Steven was on his way to the emergency department at Ascension St. Vincent.
According to Stroke Coordinator Anna Solloway, time is brain. From the moment Steven arrived at the hospital to the time he received a clot-busting medication, only 26 minutes had passed. Forty-five minutes later, he underwent a thrombectomy to remove a blood clot from his brain.
Thanks to Karen’s quick action and the coordinated care of his Ascension St. Vincent team, Steven’s hospital stay was short.
“That was on a Thursday,” Steven said. “I stayed Thursday night, Friday night, and came home Saturday afternoon.”
Follow-up imaging showed only a very small area of damage, which Karen credits to the immediate, expert care Steven received.
Ascension St. Vincent stroke centers and emergency rooms deliver advanced stroke care 24/7. Our doctors specialize in treating stroke and transient ischemic attacks (TIA), working quickly to restore blood flow, stop brain bleeds, and help prevent future strokes.
It’s important to talk with your doctor about your risk factors, especially if you:
- Are over 65
- Have a family history of stroke
- Smoke
- Have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, peripheral artery disease, AFib, heart valve disease, sickle cell anemia, or a history of stroke/heart attack
