Stroke patient John Sweeney with his wife Janell [Mr. Sweeney's full story]

"IT WAS ALL SO SEAMLESS"

When John, Janell's husband of 47 years, began to slur his speech and was unable to move his left arm, Janell recognized the signs of a stroke and acted immediately. She also called ahead to the hospital to ask if they had "that clot-busting drug."

The Shawnee hospital did have tPA, a clot-dissolving drug that must be administered within three hours of stroke onset to be effective. Thanks to Janell's quick actions, John received tPA and was then sent to the INTEGRIS James R. Daniel Stroke Center for further treatment.

"The teamwork between both hospitals was excellent," recalls Janell. "John had already vastly improved by the time we reached INTEGRIS." The James R. Daniel Stroke Center is Oklahoma's leading stroke care facility. Located at INTEGRIS Southwest Medical Center, it's staffed with four neurologists and 100 stroke-scale certified physicians and nurses.

RECOGNIZE SYMPTOMS AND REACT IMMEDIATELY

Today, John exhibits virtually no signs of having had a stroke--much of that credit goes to his wife Janell. Recognizing the warning signs of stroke and then seeking immediate treatment may have not only saved John's life, but may also have spared him from significant long-term effects.

The INTEGRIS James R. Daniel Stroke Center is dedicated to working with rural facilities across western and central Oklahoma--like Shawnee--to increase awareness and promote proven treatments like tPA.