Patient Victor Lopez with, from left, Margarett Wolosz, DPT; Valerie Merrell, RN; Elizabeth Tangney, DPT, MS; and Steven Rudolph, MD.
Victor Lopez is a contractor who runs his own business. He describes himself as “totally hands on” and someone who gives 100 percent to every customer and every job. He says he received the same level of commitment from the team of physicians, nurses, and other medical personnel who treated him at Mount Sinai Brooklyn for a stroke in March.
Victor had lost sensation in his extremities and was experiencing weakness, so he and his wife came straight away to the Emergency Department. Valerie Merrell, RN, immediately recognized the signs of stroke and activated the ED stroke protocol. Within 30 minutes, after a CT scan to rule out a hemorrhage, and consultation by Steven Rudolph, MD, Chief of Neurology, and Anthony Maniscalco, MD, Victor received tPA, a drug that can alter the course of a stroke when administered quickly.
Victor made a speedy recovery after a short stay in the intensive care unit. Elizabeth Tangney, DPT, Director of Physical Therapy, and Margarett Wolosz, DPT, did an in-depth assessment of his condition—calling his turnaround a “miracle”—and he was discharged less than 48 hours after he had arrived. Victor credits “a greater power” and the “extraordinary” care team for his recovery.
“They showed me and my wife love, care, and urgency,” he says. “My experience was something out of a television drama. I imagine this is the type of team that would be called in to attend to the President.”
Victor returned to thank everyone two weeks later, thrilled to report he was back at work and symptom-free. “Had it not been for the efforts of the people on call that day—‘my peeps’—and God looking down on us all, the outcome would have been much different.”