FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - An elderly man reunited with the medical team who helped save his life after he suffered a stroke just minutes before he was about to board a plane to Jamaica.
Alfred Forbes was just about to board his flight to meet with longtime friends to play softball when he suddenly began feeling disoriented and agitated.
“My wife looked at me and the last thing I remember, she said, ‘Honey, are you OK?’ And I look at her like, ‘What do you mean if I’m OK,’ you know,” said Forbes.
His wife noticed his deteriorating condition.
“He started feeling confused, has trouble with his speech,” said Mehdi Bouslama, a stroke specialist at Broward Health Medical Center.
At the sight of his face beginning to droop down, she immediately called 911.
Paramedics quickly recognized Forbes was suffering a life-threatening stroke and rushed him to the hospital for treatment.
“This only took about five minutes to get the answers that we needed. The team was activated, we went to the [cardiac catheterization] lab and the clot was removed,” said
Thanks to the immediate call to first responders and speedy trip to the hospital, doctors were able to remove the clot building up above his heart in just seven minutes.
Bouslama says they utilized an AI tool to help save his life as fast as possible because every minute counts when dealing with a stroke.
“It’s trained to recognize whether there is an occlusion or interruption of blood flow. But it also gives us information on salvageable tissue or brain tissue that did not die already,” said Bouslama.
Weeks later, Forbes has recovered and got to meet the heroes who saved him at the Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale.
“This is a big surprise for me and it makes me, puts me on my own little pedestal to see that everybody here did their job exceptionally well, for me to sit up here and explain what took place,” said Forbes.
First responders joined his medical team to celebrate the occasion, coming together to see how Forbes has been doing ever since their fast thinking helped save his life.
Bouslama praised his team and first responders.
“If you guys did not bring him in in time, I would have not been able to treat him, so I want to thank you for recognizing the signs of stroke, for bringing him in early,” said Bouslama.
He also gifted Forbes with a “Gift of Life” award, recognizing him for his courage and making great strides in returning to a normal life.
Forbes gave the team his heartfelt gratitude for everything they did.
“I’m very thankful for all you guys and everybody that was involved in a part of it, I really, really appreciate it,” said Forbes.
Forbes said his friends look forward to having him join them on the softball field again once he’s fully recovered.
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