With the forecast calling for beautiful weather, Robert, a retired steel worker and volunteer firefighter, decided to spend the day outside doing some yard work.
“I had just finished chopping some wood and went inside to grab some water,” says Robert. “Out of nowhere I lost feeling in my left arm, my hand opened up and the glass fell right out.”
With years of first aid training under his belt, the Binbrook resident immediately recognized he was having stroke. His daughters, both of whom were home at the time, could also tell something was very wrong and called 911. Ambulance attendants confirmed Robert was having a stroke, and rushed him directly to the Regional Stroke Centre at Hamilton General Hospital.
Prepped for his arrival, doctors met the ambulance as it reached the entrance to the Emergency Department. Twenty-seven minutes after pulling into The General, doctors had already dissolved the blood clot and restored blood flow to his brain using a clot-busting enzyme known as tPA.
“It’s amazing how quickly it works. As I was being wheeled back from having a CT scan to make sure the clot was gone, the feeling and movement were already coming back in my arm."
“Mr. Finton is extremely lucky we were able to treat him as quickly as we did,” says Dr. Mohammed, a physician in the Integrated Stroke Unit. “To be effective, tPA needs to be administered within 3 hours of the onset of a stroke. This was really the best case scenario; without immediate treatment he would have been facing permanent neurological damage including paralysis of the left side of his body.”
Thanks to the quick action of his daughters and the stroke team at Hamilton General Hospital, Robert was back at home two weeks later and is expected to make a full recovery.
“I am very grateful that this type of specialized care is available right here in Hamilton,” says Robert.
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