NEW PHILADELPHIA — Dorothy Thorne said she hadn’t been feeling well for a few days when she came home from work on March 9. She thought it was just the flu, but it was actually a mini stroke.
Had her 12-year-old son not immediately called the Schuylkill County Communications Center and calmly describe the symptoms to emergency responders, Dorothy may not have been able to dribble the basketball with her son on Thursday.
“I’m so proud of him,” she said. “He stayed calm and kept his composure and did what he was supposed to do. I don’t know what would have happened if he wasn’t there.”
Her son, Damian, a sixth-grader at Saint Clair Area Elementary School, said he was able to stay calm because he knew what to do.
“I used to take him to the fire companies and taught him CPR and the Heimlich,” Mark, his father and a firefighter, said. “He might be a firefighter when he’s older.”
He was not home at the time.
Damian said he recognized some of the symptoms: slurred speech, dizziness, confusion, weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg and headache.
“I called 911 and sat in the ambulance,” he said.
He then called his grandmother to tell her what had occurred.
About 9:30 p.m., the ambulance took Dorothy to Schuylkill Medical Center-East Norwegian Street, Pottsville. She was later transferred to St. Luke’s Hospital-Miners Campus, Coaldale, where she stayed until March 11.
Dorothy said the doctors found a blood clot in the left side of her neck. She is still taking medication to clear the clot.
A stroke occurs when the blood supply to part of your brain is interrupted or severely reduced, depriving brain tissue of oxygen and nutrients, according to the Mayo Clinic. Prompt treatment is crucial and early action can minimize brain damage and potential complications.
“Timing is the most important part and I attribute that to Damian,” Dorothy said.
On her right shoulder, Dorothy has a tattoo called “Eyes of the Protector” with the names of her husband and son written above the eyes.
“That’s fitting for this situation,” she said.
People should seek immediate medical attention if they notice any signs or symptoms of a stroke, even if they seem to fluctuate or disappear, according to the Mayo Clinic.
“FAST” is the acronym commonly used to remember how to detect and respond to stroke victim needs. It stands for:
• Face. Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
• Arms. Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? Or is one arm unable to raise up?
• Speech. Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is his or her speech slurred or strange?
• Time. If you observe any of these signs, call 911 immediately.
When it comes to educating children how to call 911, Verizon Wireless has a guide on its website at www.verizonwireless.com/support/teach-kids-how-to-dial-911. It includes the following instructions:
• Make sure your child can say her first and last name and provide her address or location
• Explain the different emergency situations that might require your child to call 911
• Show your child the steps for calling 911 on your mobile phone
• Go over your mobile phone’s keypad several times to help your child become familiar with making a call
• Practice, practice, practice
• Do not let your children play with old mobile phones