SAVED: Patient has stroke of luck

It was on election day last November. I voted, drove home, parked my car in the garage and went inside to make some lunch. I live alone as my wife had passed away two years ago. Started to make a sandwich and a tremendous force grabbed me and held me in suspension. I was terrified. The only other time I was so frightened was when I met a shark under water in the Pacific. I couldn't talk, had a hard time moving or talking.

This went on for some length of time and I knew I had to do something to get help. By my telephone I had a list of about 30 frequently called phone numbers. My telephone service had been irregular but that day it happened to be working. For whatever reason I just happened to call the Hayden Branch Library. They have an automated answering system and my call just happened to wind up on Lee Starr's desk. I've known Lee for 37 years and the library is like a second home to me. Lee, who only works a few days each week, is very intelligent and just happened to be at work that day.

Somehow Lee figured out that I was Art Sestak and called 911. The Hayden Fire Department's Fire-Rescue department is super-efficient, with intelligent guys who treat you like royalty. They showed up and proceeded to move me to Kootenai Medical Center. As they were going out the drive, my very alert neighbor, Lt. Dan Sumas of the Coeur d'Alene police, happened to notice them and he called in saying that he'd transport me home from the hospital. He didn't have to do this, it's just the kind of generous, helpful guy that he is.

At the hospital they did what they normally do for stroke folks, then Lt. Dan Sumas appeared and drove me home. When you have a stroke you either recover, become a vegetable or die. Luckily I recovered with a lot of excellent medical care from Dr. Snyder's Prairie Avenue Medical.

Where else could a person have such excellent local help?

ART SESTAK

Hayden