Hemorrhagic Stroke Survivor

Aug 26, 2023

Hemorrhagic Stroke Survivor

Mandy Banks was 38 weeks pregnant when she experienced a massive hemorrhagic stroke. The teams at Rose Medical Center, Swedish Medical Center and Airlife Denver worked together to save her life and the life of her baby. Watch her inspiring story and learn how these HealthONE organizations came together to provide her with exceptional care.

Content

1.38 -> (Shushing)

2.58 -> (crying)

3.413 -> - That day my body was like tired.

4.87 -> Mommy and Dean are best friends.

7.66 -> I just could not move as quickly as I usually do.

10.57 -> My headache started coming,

12.08 -> we had a doctor's appointment that day.

13.74 -> (fetus heart beating)

15.27 -> - [Matt] Mandy had her 38 week checkup.

17.31 -> - Something's not right, my head is killing me.

19.68 -> - She had started to act a little bit weird.

22.21 -> - What is going on with me?

23.8 -> This is my first child, is this what people feel like

26.02 -> when they are about to give birth?

27.1 -> - She was having difficulty remembering names.

29.87 -> So she could say, you are my O.B.

32 -> I know you, I can't remember your name.

33.93 -> - Its weird feeling in your brain

36.01 -> when you just start not remembering

38.96 -> the easiest of things.

40.35 -> - [Brittney] So when she got to Labor and Delivery,

42.19 -> I started to triage her.

43.62 -> - I'm gonna check your temperature in your ear.

44.66 -> - And admitted her to the floor that day

46.47 -> and we were just trying to checkout

48.03 -> and see what was what was going on with her.

50.52 -> - Something about this case

51.6 -> something rubbed me in the wrong way.

53.13 -> This is a person who seems sick

54.62 -> and I didn't really know why?

55.98 -> - [Brittney] We got her down to the MRI machine.

57.85 -> - [Dr Kara] and soon after we had put her in the scanner,

60.03 -> I heard her start to vomit.

61.86 -> I ran into the room she wouldn't open

64.01 -> her eyes or be arouse.

65.03 -> I checked her pupils and noticed that

66.87 -> she had something called a blown pupil.

68.81 -> - [Brittney] One of her pupil was

69.97 -> completely blown and dilated

71.34 -> and the other one was a pin point.

72.83 -> - [Dr Kara] You know what it means?

74.06 -> - [Dr Judd] It is a sign of impending brain damage

76.33 -> that this permanent and life threatening.

78.21 -> - [Brittney] She actually stroked out.

79.93 -> - [Dr Kara] This is a neurological emergency.

82.03 -> - [Dr Judd] Seconds count.

82.89 -> - [Dr Kara] Lets call for help I need backup.

84.73 -> - [Brittney] She hit the Code Blue button

86.03 -> and we were in the hallway of the MRI.

88.069 -> (alarm beeping)

89.21 -> - [Matt] The Code Blue light is going off

91.02 -> and like a loud beeping noise.

93.929 -> And obviously I knew that was my wife.

95.849 -> - [Brittney] It was very intense and over whelming,

98.24 -> but we had all the right people there.

99.64 -> - [Dr Kara] For first and foremost

100.473 -> we had to stabilize Mandy.

102.56 -> Give her a drug called Mannitol,

104.52 -> that helps to decrease pressure in the brain.

107.95 -> - [Brittney] I just monitored the babies heart rate,

109.57 -> that's all I could do at that moment.

110.76 -> - [Dr Kara] So we were worried that all of the changes

112.44 -> in Mandy were affecting the baby.

114.19 -> So we wanted to get him out, as quick as possible.

116.544 -> (heart monitor beeping)

117.377 -> - [Brittney] We crashed her and delivered in the main O.R.

120.52 -> The baby came out and was beautiful.

122.86 -> As soon as the C- Section was finished,

124.59 -> that's when we moved her to get a cat-scan

127.03 -> to see what was actually going on?

128.76 -> That's when we saw that she'd had

130.33 -> this massive hemorrhagic stroke

132.08 -> in her left temporal lobe.

133.42 -> - I knew she was gonna need a surgical decompression

135.573 -> as soon as I saw the ct-scan.

137.6 -> I called Dr. Hebb, the neurosurgeon at Swedish.

140.23 -> - He was able to describe what he saw on the cat-scan.

143.38 -> I knew immediately we couldn't waste any time

145.82 -> even seconds could count for her.

147.539 -> (helicopter blades whirring)

150.4 -> - [Brandi] We get a call to pick her up from Rose.

153.08 -> Went to the ICU, to her room and took over care.

156.29 -> And then we secured her in the belts

157.952 -> (belt clicking)

159.53 -> and take her over to the helicopter.

161.592 -> (helicopter blades whirring)

164.852 -> - [Dr Hebb] Helicopter hit the pad,

165.79 -> the operating room was ready to accept her.

168.02 -> - One two three.

169.11 -> - This hemorrhage was very large blood clot.

172.032 -> (heart monitor beeping)

173.77 -> For operation we did a temporal craniotomy,

176.19 -> took out that hematoma from the brain.

179 -> Thus relieving the pressure.

180.89 -> - [Matt] When they finished the surgery Dr. Hebb came out

183.49 -> and talked about the stroke, talked about surgery,

186.02 -> but there was definitely brain damage.

188.14 -> He didn't know to what extent

189.93 -> and basically all he could say was

192.02 -> that he believed that he had saved her life.

194.43 -> But the big question was to what extent

197.1 -> her disability would be.

199.131 -> (heart monitor beeping)

201.03 -> - When I woke up and I'm like

202.81 -> why am I in the hospital?

204.537 -> And I started feeling my head,

206.16 -> here was a where is where the skull

208.61 -> had been cut out and I'm like,

210.44 -> and my hair is no like...

213.59 -> What you know how how did any of

216.4 -> this happen to me.

218.12 -> - [Matt] She like touched her stomach

220.15 -> and then kind of went like this,

221.81 -> and then slapped the bed like give me my child.

225.4 -> - Lift up your left heel, hold it up, hold it up.

227.93 -> - Rehab was difficult, at points

231 -> I just would be like aah.

232.89 -> You know you are trying to say cynicism

235.06 -> you are trying to say words and

236.53 -> you can't get any of it out

238.24 -> and you just you honestly want to bang your head

241.82 -> against a wall and see is it going to come back.

245.44 -> I didn't wanted to stay there for long

246.75 -> and I didn't even taken care of him I'm his mom.

249.33 -> Coming home and holding Dean,

252.54 -> I get like emotional every time.

254.811 -> Oh

256.019 -> (kissing baby)

257.25 -> Its the most amazing feeling to know

259.77 -> I made it through this and I get to be a mom

262.43 -> for the rest of my life.

263.85 -> He is now 8 months old 8 months already.

267.41 -> He's just perfect.

269.71 -> He's perfect

271.03 -> - [Matt] Her ability to fight and believe

272.75 -> and stay positive is what's gotten

274.63 -> her back to this point.

275.798 -> (cheering and clapping)

279.97 -> - So Health ONE, created a reunion for us.

282.6 -> My whole family got together

283.8 -> and we were able to meet with Rose,

285.34 -> Swedish and Air Life all together.

288.09 -> Yeah I am good.

289.248 -> (all laughing)

290.48 -> And walking in there is a room full of people.

293.59 -> - Hi bud.

294.718 -> - [Mandy] They are like family now.

295.848 -> - I was the your early Registered Nurse,

298.293 -> I admitted you to the hospital.

299.412 -> - Oh I kind of remember you.

300.995 -> - I know.

301.828 -> - [Brittney] She got to meet all these

302.661 -> other providers who she didn't remember.

304.55 -> We talked all about this all

305.7 -> and hugged and cried lots of times.

308.56 -> But to see her be able to experience that

311.24 -> with people that were so crucial

313.3 -> in saving her was really special.

315.402 -> - I'm so glad you are doing so well.

317.272 -> - Thanks.

318.105 -> Not only have they saved my life

319.29 -> but they are here with me celebrating.

321.742 -> (laughing)

322.817 -> that I've lived because of them.

325.32 -> Oh my Gosh .

326.153 -> - [Brittney] I'm a mom and to know that she got

328.1 -> to go home and take care of her baby.

329.84 -> Certainly makes you feel like you

331.85 -> did something good.

333.54 -> - [Dr Hebb] Say its hard to put words to it,

334.99 -> its extremely rewarding.

336.434 -> - So good to see you.

337.267 -> - Nice to see you.

338.1 -> To see that our work is able

339.6 -> to give somebody their life back.

341.469 -> - I know.

342.41 -> - [Dr Kara] Cases like this are cases that change

344.82 -> they change who you are as doctor

346.08 -> and they change who you are as a person.

347.98 -> You just feel so thankful .

349.18 -> - Everyone needs at some point to know,

351.64 -> someone else cares about them .

353.23 -> - Hi Brittney, how are you?

354.457 -> - And I knew that's the most genuine part

356.79 -> of being in health care.

357.85 -> Hey buddy you.

359.03 -> - [Matt] This is the little man.

360.248 -> - Hi.

361.081 -> How much I've thought about her and her family

362.56 -> and how much I've prayed for them

364 -> and just wanted her to be okay

365.86 -> and to make this recovery

368 -> and she survived this massive stroke.

371.17 -> That not many people come back from

373.04 -> and have minimal deficits the way that Mandy does.

375.62 -> Okay one two three.

377.403 -> She's a miracle.

378.453 -> - Thank you, thank you so much.

379.343 -> - [Dr Judd] This is a big success,

381.31 -> a success story for the system.

383.24 -> There are a lot of people that were involved in her care.

385.31 -> - We had such an incredible team.

386.89 -> - There's nothing about this that was one person.

389.59 -> - [Dr Hebb] And I think that cooperation in Mandy's case

393.58 -> helped save her life.

394.78 -> - The Swedish and Rose has like

396.86 -> the most amazing group of people.

399.584 -> (helicopter whirring)

400.74 -> You know they are not going to give up

403.31 -> and they all want to win.

404.81 -> They can do everything to make sure

407.87 -> you are gonna come back.

409.22 -> How'd you thank those people enough.

411.26 -> - From the bottom of our hearts thank you very much.

414.56 -> It gives me a greater appreciation

416.76 -> for all the little things

417.98 -> that you so easily overlook

419.48 -> and take for granted on a daily basis.

421.557 -> (laughing)

422.66 -> I had a wife who is standing, walking, talking

425.77 -> and healing and a healthy son.

427.61 -> I feel we got away with something.

429.69 -> As it could have gone a very different direction.

431.95 -> - I feel extremely lucky.

436.81 -> Not lucky that has happened to me obviously,

441.19 -> lucky that I was able to become a strong as I have

444.79 -> in such a shorter time.

446.96 -> - [Brittney] Its just the same Mandy as before.

449.93 -> - And I feel so blessed to be alive.

452.47 -> Thank you Health ONE for saving my life.

456.27 -> - Alright Buddy.

458.297 -> - Alright, woo woo.

460.373 -> (triumphant music)

Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSVipYkhL8E