SumedhaEmergency
“When the brain is deprived of blood, cells die and permanent brain injury can occur. Timing is everything,” Nima Amim Aghaebrahim, an interventional neurologist, explains. And the dogs understood the importance of time.
Too Late?
Even though Maureen had been taken to the hospital and was being treated, there was no guarantee that she was going to make it through. “One of the most important factors that can lead to a good outcome for patients in these situations is to get the blood vessel opened quickly and successfully,” Aghaebrahim stresses.
Successful
After finding the blood clot that had been the cause of the stroke with which Maureen suffered, doctors successfully moved a stent retriever from the femoral artery in Maureen’s leg to her neck. “It’s one of the highlights of our career that we’re able to help people such as Mrs. Hatcher,” Dr. Aghaebrahim explains.
Discharged
The surgeons at Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville had cleared the clot from Maureen’s body and miraculously, she had even started gaining strength right after her surgery. And just three days later, she was healthy enough to be discharged from the hospital.
Thankful
Maureen owned her life to Sadie and Bella. They had gone out of their way, in fact, out of everyone’s imagination and thinking, and had done something no one could have ever thought of. Without them, Maureen couldn’t even imagine where she would have been.
Blessed
Maureen says tearfully, “I am blessed I don’t have any residual effects, and I attribute that to Dr. Nima and what the staff there did for me.” But she knows that the doctors surgery, treatment, and Alexandria’s help was all possible because of her dogs.