Jeanne Shore, October, 2023
Stroke survivor / mechanical thrombectomy performed by Dr. David Fiorella
Who would think that a nurse leading a healthy life, could have a stroke? It happens. Just ask 68-year-old Jeanne Shore, RN. On Sunday morning, October 29, 2023, while getting ready to go to 9 a.m. mass, Jeanne breezed through her usual routine. She washed up, did her makeup and her hair. Then, just as she went to make her bed, her partner Bill noticed something wasn’t right. When Jeanne couldn’t respond to Bill’s questions (even though in her head, she knew the words she wanted to speak), Bill called an ambulance. EMS arrived quickly.
After checking Jeanne’s vitals and recognizing that she was unable to produce words/speak, EMS asked where they wanted to go. (There are two primary stroke centers right near Jeanne’s home.) Without missing a beat, Bill said, “She’s going to Stony Brook!” And that was that. Bill knew about Stony Brook University Hospital’s excellent reputation for stroke care and wanted her to go directly there. And it’s a good thing she did. Because the two primary stroke centers closer to her home would not have been able to treat her severe kind of stroke. They would’ve had to transfer her to a comprehensive stroke center — which can sometimes take up to three hours or more.
Upon arriving at Stony Brook, Jeanne was diagnosed with a large vessel occlusion (blockage) of her middle cerebral artery (the area of the brain that controls one’s ability to produce speech). Neurointerventionalist Dr. David Fiorella was called in to remove the blockage and restore (reperfuse) the blood flow to Jeanne’s brain by performing a mechanical thrombectomy – an advanced procedure that is only performed at a comprehensive stroke center. This image-guided, minimally invasive procedure includes the use of microcatheters to remove the occlusion. Jeanne was one of the first patients in the U.S. to be treated using brand new microcatheter technology available only at Stony Brook in our region. She was discharged within four days, and her speech returned to normal soon after.
A week later, Jeanne celebrated her birthday surrounded by Bill, her children and grandchildren. Jeanne has so much to be grateful for. And she is no longer at a loss for words. In fact, she’s now on a mission to tell anyone who will listen, about the importance of going directly to Stony Brook, a comprehensive stroke center, when a severe stroke is suspected. As she put it, “Why waste time? Go where you gotta go. I did!”
