Jim Yarbrough's Stroke Survivor Story
Jim Yarbrough enjoys spending time with his family, granddaughter and taking a trip to Disney World each year with his wife to celebrate their anniversary. But a stroke could've put an end to all that.
Jim was awaiting a heart procedure at another hospital when he had a life threatening stroke. “Initially, I remember not being able to answer some questions,” Jim says. “After that, it was just a madhouse of people running around and moving me. Then I remember getting on a helicopter.” Jim was airlifted to Washington Regional Medical Center, where the stroke team was standing by. As the area’s only Joint Commission certified Comprehensive Stroke Center, Washington Regional is prepared 24/7 to treat even the most complex stroke cases.
Once he arrived at Washington Regional, Jim recalls a nurse practitioner, performing a stroke evaluation and explaining to him what would happen. Soon after Jim arrived, Dr. Mehmet Akdol performed a thrombectomy, a minimally invasive procedure to remove the blood clot from Jim's brain.
During a thrombectomy, doctors insert a small catheter through an artery in the patient’s groin and thread it up to the blocked blood vessel in the brain. A small device then removes the clot, restoring blood flow to the brain. “The next day I was able to have all my functions,” Jim says. “To have that severe of a stroke and to not even see any effects from it is pretty amazing.”
Jim says he is grateful that he was in a hospital close to Washington Regional when his stroke occurred. “If there is anything I could tell people, it would be if something like this happens, don't even try to get to the hospital yourself. Call 911, because they know what they're doing, and they can alert the hospital that they're on the way,” he says.
To learn more about Washington Regional’s stroke program and the warning signs of stroke, visit wregional.com/strokecare.