OU Health Patient Credits Comprehensive Stroke Center Team for Saving Her Life

In June of 2020, Tamica Grayson was busy preparing for a wedding and dreaming of the future. On the morning of June 30, she awoke to blurry vision and numbness in her hand – everything she’d been planning for came to a sudden standstill.

She was rushed to the emergency room at OU Health University of Oklahoma Medical Center where she learned she was having a stroke. Immediately, the Comprehensive Stroke Center team went to work.

“The emergency room neurology team recognized the situation and gave Tamica a lifesaving medication to bust the clot. We opened her blood vessel and restored flow to the effected part of her brain,” said Evgeny Sidorov, M.D., a stroke and cerebrovascular specialist. Tamica was given TPA, a clot- busting wonder drug used to break-up clots in blood vessels. She was then taken to the operating room where she underwent a lifesaving procedure.

“We quickly got her to the operating room and removed the clot and restored her blood flow,” said Ahmed Cheema, M.D., OU Health neurosurgeon.

In 2020, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association recognized the OU Health Stroke Center with the Stroke Silver Plus Quality Achievement Award and the Target: Stroke Honor Roll Award. That means patients like Tamica benefit from care that follows the most stringent national standards, supported by the most up-to-date and evidence-based practices.

Tamica recovered from the stroke and is now expecting a child.

“Combining all the services in one location making sure the patient is moved as fast and smooth as possible, and gets the necessary treatment, that’s what makes a Comprehensive Stroke Center,” said Dr. Sidorov. “When we see a patient with such a great outcome, having a child, and returning to work, that is the best outcome we can expect”.

At OU Health, patients receive the highest level of stroke treatment available in the state and surrounding five state region from board-certified and fellowship-trained neurologists and neurosurgeons.

How do we recognize the signs of a stroke when we feel like something is wrong? Remember the B-E-F-A-S-T warning signs of a stroke.Balance loss of balance or dizziness, Eyesight loss or change, Face droops or uneven smile, Arm numbness or weakness, Speech slurred or difficult, Time to call 9-1-1, and note the time when the person last seemed normal. Every second counts!

Learn more about stroke care at OU Health.