ST. CLOUD -- The facilities of CentraCare Health has continued to grow offering more services available to patients closer to home.

One of their services offered in the ability to take care of stroke patients, which was put to the test in October.

Lucy Cords started her day off like any other.

"I got up on a Saturday morning and I felt great," says Cords. "Got dress, went to the kitchen, a normal day."

Then suddenly she started feeling dizzy and thought she may pass out.

"Things started to spin and I got dizzy, and I thought I better sit down before I fall," says Cords.

Her husband, Alvin Gerads, was out getting the mail and when he came in found his wife on the floor.

"I said did you fall, and she kind of mumbled and right there I knew what was happening, she couldn't even move her left side," says Gerads.

Lucy was suffering from a stroke. So Alvin quickly called 9-1-1 and she was rushed to the hospital.

When she arrived the doctors at CentraCare Health began running test and determined she had a blood clot in her brain.

Dr. Adnan Qureshi is the Medical Director of Interventional Neurology. He says once they clot was located they immediately got Lucy into surgery.

"We were successful in removing the clot and was able to restore blood flow to the brain before any serious damage was done," says Dr. Qureshi.

Just a few ours after surgery Cords was back to normal feeling the same as before.

"I was instantly cured, it was a miracle," says Cords.

Cords says a stroke was something she never expected to get.

She credits it was quick thinking, the service of CentraCare Health and her husband to saving her life.

"If he hadn't been there I'm not sure I would have called 9-1-1 because I never expected to have a stroke ever," says Cords.

CentraCare Health has continued to strive to offer the same care that you would be able to find in the Twin Cities.

 

Lucy Cords and her husband talk about her survival from a stroke. (PHOTO: Alex Svejkovsky, WJON News)
Lucy Cords and her husband talk about her survival from a stroke. (PHOTO: Alex Svejkovsky, WJON News)
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