Take me to Alaska Regional Hospital: Their stroke care is exceptional (and they truly care!)
Chelsea Hunt, 36-year-old Anchorage resident, sent her friend a box of creepy dolls. The friend had moved from Alaska to Idaho a couple years prior, so Chelsea set up a video call to watch her friend’s face as she opened the unexpected, slightly disturbing gift. This was their first video call, and it turned out to be a life saver.
While chatting, something suddenly changed within Chelsea’s body, and the effects were obvious.
“My friend kept saying, ‘What’s wrong with your face?’” Chelsea said.
In addition to a facial droop, Chelsea lost the ability to use her body’s left side. Sitting on the couch, Chelsea noticed her left arm and leg hanging limply. She tried to communicate all she was experiencing, but only a jumbled mumble of words came out.
Chelsea’s symptoms align perfectly with the top three signs of a stroke: facial drooping, arm weakness and slurred speech. Thankfully, Chelsea’s friend recognized the need for emergency medical help and hung up to call Chelsea’s mom, who also lives in Anchorage.
Meanwhile, Chelsea managed to signal to her 3-year-old daughter to get 12-year-old big brother James. When James got to the living room, he called 911. He remained calm, took care of his mom and sister, and let the paramedics into their secured building to care for Chelsea. This young man’s heroic efforts proved vital to his mother’s survival, as did the fast-acting care by the emergency medical transportation (EMT) team.
“On a good day, driving to Alaska Regional Hospital takes 20 minutes from where I live. It’s on the other side of town. The fact that they could get there so fast is amazing to me,” Chelsea said.
Within 20 minutes of the stroke’s onset, Chelsea was safely positioned in the hands of Alaska Regional Hospital’s neurosurgeons.
Alaska Regional Hospital is the only certified comprehensive stroke center from DNV in the area, reflecting the highest level of competence for treatment of serious stroke events.
Board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Lucy He performed Chelsea’s thrombectomy, an intricate procedure to remove blood-blocking clots from the brain.
“Dr. He is so awesome. She’s super peppy and funny. There was music playing in the surgery room and the team was happily talking. It helped me be calm because I could tell they were calm. As strange as it sounds, the surgery room felt like a happy place,” Chelsea said.
Dr. He and the stroke care team carefully dislodged and extracted three pebble-sized clots. Without their precision and speed, Chelsea wouldn’t have survived. After the procedure, Chelsea transferred to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for constant monitoring and recovery. There, she underwent a battery of evaluations to see if the stroke caused permanent damage.
“I had speech therapists, physical therapists, cardiologists and others doing all kinds of exams — and I passed them with flying colors. I had no lasting effects! It was incredible,” Chelsea said. “But one thing that was hard during that time is I couldn’t see my husband or kids because of COVID protocols. I was glad the nurses were so nice and sweet about everything. I could tell they and the doctors really cared. That made it feel better.”
After four days in the ICU, Chelsea reunited with her family. Even though she returned home without lasting physical implications, surviving a massive stroke left a deep impression on Chelsea.
“I very much so believe that I had guardian angels around me. The fact that I was on the one and only [video call] with my friend when it happened, the fact that my son could call 911, the fact that my doctor was already at Alaska Regional Hospital waiting for me — so many things fit into place,” Chelsea said. “Since then, I’m trying to live a healthier lifestyle and be kinder to my body. I’m also trying to keep an open mind and have a smile on my face. I hug my kids a little longer too.”
Choosing Alaska Regional Hospital means choosing excellence
Chelsea remains in touch with Alaska Regional Hospital. Her son had a couple injuries and she’s returned for other health issues. Now that she’s experienced the excellent care at Alaska Regional Hospital, she can’t imagine going anywhere else.
“Before my stroke I would have said, ‘Take me to Alaska Regional Hospital’ because of my health insurance. Now that I’ve had my stroke, I say, ‘Take me to Alaska Regional Hospital’ because I feel their care is exceptional. They truly care about people.”