The story of a stroke warrior

March 23, 2017, was a day stroke survivor Kip will never forget. Shortly after arriving at work, he started experiencing slurred speech so his friend David insisted he sit down right away. As soon as he sat down, the entire right side of his body gave out. David was familiar with the signs and symptoms of stroke due to his wife suffering from one a decade prior, so he quickly called for their coworkers to dial 9-1-1.

Kip was rushed to West Jefferson Medical Center for care and says when he woke up from surgery, he realized very quickly that he couldn’t speak.

“Everyone at West Jefferson and I mean everyone, helped me to get back to where I am today,” said Kip. “I had a great medical team at West Jefferson who helped me get back to normal, and they still check up on me to this day.”

After surgery, therapy, and lots of support from his medical team, family, and friends, Kip returned to work just a short two months later. To help with Kip’s speech development, his local musician friend Mike would sing songs with him. Kip knows his survival is all thanks to his quick-thinking, supportive friends, who helped him from the moment he began experiencing symptoms all the way through his recovery.

Kip was honored in 2017 as a West Jefferson Medical Center Stroke Warrior. Pictured: Kip with two of his stroke team members, Aly (left) and Ina (right). 

Knowing the signs and symptoms of stroke, and calling 9-1-1 at the first sign of a stroke could help save your own life or the life of someone you love.

Visit stroke.org to learn about the signs and symptoms of a stroke.