"My Life Was Given Back to Me," Says Telestroke Patient

Tracy Plush suffered a stroke two days before her fiftieth birthday, leaving her to celebrate in the hospital.  

On her lunch break, as a 9-1-1 dispatcher, her arm went numb and her speech became slurred. She knew she was having a stroke because she remembered reading about stroke symptoms in a pamphlet she found in a doctor’s office.

Since 2015, the Regional Medical Center in Orangeburg and the Medical University of South Carolina have partnered to improve stroke care with their Telestroke Program. Plush was able to be consulted in Orangeburg by a Charleston neurologist using video conferencing. Quick action enabled doctors to confidently administer TPA, a blockbusting drug, to reverse the symptoms of her stroke and allow for full recovery and another reason to celebrate.

Tracy Plush says, “I had the stroke two days before my birthday. It was a celebration. Being able to talk to my kids, that was all the celebrating that I needed.”