Theresa McIntyre-Adame

Theresa McIntyre-Adame was only 57 years old when she suffered from a stroke. She and her husband were going to bed, when she realized she forgot to add dog food to her grocery list.

“I was moving the mouse with my hand, and my hand did not work,” Theresa recalled. “I said, ‘babe,’ and nothing came out. I went ‘oh no.’” She tried to take a step, and she collapsed to the floor. Theresa and her husband knew the signs and symptoms of a stroke, so they acted quickly and rushed her to the hospital.

Before being transferred to Methodist Hospital Stone Oak for advanced care, Theresa received tPA (tissue plasminogen activator), an effective treatment option that can be given to stroke patients within the first four hours of the initial presenting symptom. A stroke is a blockage in the blood vessels of the brain, so this treatment helps break open the clot and resume blood flow.

According to her physician at Methodist Hospital Stone Oak, Dr. Neel Shah, Theresa’s recognition that something was wrong and quick action probably saved her life, and ultimately, helped her regain function in the right side of her body. “Time is brain tissue,” he said. “The sooner you are able to notice the symptoms and get medical care, the faster we can appropriately administer treatments like tPA.”

Brain tissue is very sensitive. “It dies the millisecond blood flow stops, so time is very valuable,” Dr. Shah shared.

In Theresa’s first 48 hours at Methodist Hospital Stone Oak, she had two or three episodes in which the right side of her body weakened and her speech was impaired. According to her doctor, her initial stroke had persistent symptoms for a couple days. Her care team ran multiple tests of her head and heart to ensure she was improving and there were no more abnormalities.

Theresa’s road to recovery did not stop at the hospital. She was transferred to Methodist Hospital Stone Oak Rehabilitation Center where she worked hard with her physical, speech and occupational therapists to regain strength and function. When she arrived at rehab, Theresa could not lift her arm, open her hand, move her foot or speak clearly. Now, she can lift her leg and arm, walk with a walker and speak more easily and clearly.

“Hard work pays off if you’re willing to work for it,” said Theresa. “Every day I tell myself I’m in the middle of the ocean and I will swim to shore. Whether I’m walking around the building or lifting weights, I will swim to shore.” She expressed gratitude when recognizing her condition could have been significantly worse if she did not respond quickly to her stroke symptoms.

“Pay attention to your surroundings at all times, and be aware of signs of a stroke,” Theresa advised. “That is one thing that saved my life. I knew I was having a stroke because I knew the symptoms, I knew the signs. It could be your mom, dad, brother or sister. You may save someone’s life.”