12 / 16
Inspirational
Believe in miracles Cherish every moment
At Methodist Charlton, one stroke patient
finds the compassionate care she needed
“Ultimately, I’d rather
go to Methodist Charlton
than anywhere else. I had
such a good experience.”
Hanging
on the wall in Shelly Gallatin’s home is a work of art
with messages like: “Cherish every moment,” “Show compassion,”
and “Believe in miracles.”
They’re the kind of words that keep you going through challenges —
and Shelly has had many, especially with her health.
The most recent incident happened last December, when she had
a stroke. She’s grateful for the team at Methodist Charlton Medical
Center, who worked quickly and with compassion to save her life.
Every minute matters
That evening, Shelly, 44, was fighting nausea and a severe headache.
She had her fiance drive her to a nearby outpatient emergency
facility, where the staff was unsympathetic and unresponsive to her
quickly worsening symptoms.
“I started getting really hot, then really dizzy,” Shelly says. “My
vision blurred, and then I noticed I lost the use of my left arm. I
thought I was going to pass out.
“I then lost the use of my right arm, my right leg, and I could
barely talk because my speech was slurring.”
Shelly’s fiance called 911, and an ambulance raced them to
Methodist Charlton.
Finding compassion
“Once they confirmed I was having a stroke, they gave me TPA, and
within 15 minutes, I could talk normally and my leg was back to
normal,” Shelly says.
12
Methodist Charlton Medical Center
•
Summer 2015