Jamie Hughes had just gotten back to her Delhi Township home after a long walk on a beautiful March day and decided to take her dogs outside to play fetch.
"I went to throw the ball, and I kind of felt like I was going to pass out and got a little light-headed," she said. "I was thinking, 'Maybe I overdid it today on that walk,' and I laid down."
Her husband, Brad, was home and asked if she was alright but couldn't understand her response. He called for their son, Jake, who had taken a test that morning on the symptoms of strokes.
After a few quick tests, Jake told his dad to call 911. He suspected — correctly — that his mom was having a stroke.
Someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke once every 40 seconds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And the American Heart Association reported more than 160,000 U.S. deaths by stroke in 2020.
On Cincinnati Edition, we talk about the warning signs and the types of treatment available locally and hear what quick medical attention meant for Hughes.
We also discuss how to recognize signs of a brain tumor.
More than 84,000 people in the U.S. were diagnosed with a primary brain tumor in 2021, according to the American Brain Tumor Association, and about 18,000 people died that same year as the result of a primary malignant brain tumor.
Guests:
- Dr. Andrew Ringer, neurosurgeon at Mayfield Brain & Spine
- Dr. Vincent DiNapoli, neurosurgeon at Mayfield Brain & Spine
- Jamie Hughes, patient from Delhi Township
Mayfield Brain & Spine is a financial supporter of Cincinnati Public Radio.
Listen to Cincinnati Edition live at noon M-F. Audio for this segment will be uploaded after 4 p.m. ET.
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