Yvette Johnson

Yvette Johnson, a 5th grade teacher at Belleview Elementary was on her third day of the new school year when she felt her blood pressure begin to rise. Yvette was familiar with treating her high blood pressure so she decided to drive home, but on the drive home Yvette started passing out so she turned around and went back to the school. Once she was back at the school Yvette began to experience a symptom that she was unfamiliar with, she started shaking so she took two clonidine tablets. Yvette's son then picked her up and then took her home. Once Yvette got to her house, her son left to run an errand but asked that his daughter (Yvette's granddaughter) stay with Yvette. Yvette went to take a shower and as she was shutting off the water, she began to feel numbness down her left side. Yvette was able to make it to her bed but then she slumped over and began stuttering. Yvette's granddaughter heard the stuttering and rushed in to help her grandmother and Yvette was able to stutter the word "stroke." Yvette's granddaughter immediately picked up the phone to call 911. At this time, Yvette had become completely paralyzed and could only communicate by blinking.

When EMS personnel from Ocala Fire Rescue and Marion County Fire Rescue arrived, they began a stroke assessment of Yvette and asked if it would be okay if they took her to the hospital where they knew she would get the best care for a stroke. Ocala Hospital is the region's only Comprehensive Stroke Center and Yvette blinked in agreement to be brought to Ocala Hospital. Yvette says that she remembers the crew radioing in "we're coming in hot" and before she knew it, they were arriving at Ocala Hospital where there was a team of people ready to treat her. The team immediately got Yvette into a CAT scan where a clot in her brain was discovered. Once getting permission to administer TPA (a clot-busting medication), the stroke team gave Yvette the medication. Within 60 minutes Yvette said she could lift her fingers and wiggle her toes and one step led to the next until she was "back to normal." Yvette suffered from her stroke on Aug. 26 and was discharged home on Aug. 29.

Yvette says, "the team at Ocala Hospital did such a good job of educating me and I now have my life back because of the first responders who did the stroke assessment and the team at Ocala Hospital. I didn't know that there was a medicine (TPA) that would have such miraculous results and be able to give me my life back. I had the six best EMTs to take care of me and a wonderful team. I can't thank them enough. I am a dancer and now I am able to dance again."

Yvette advises anyone who is experiencing signs or symptoms of a stroke to call 911 immediately and not wait to see if it goes away. She also advises others to listen to the EMTs and healthcare providers.

"If you see or feel something that is abnormal, you need to listen to the experts and come to the hospital right away."