12/26/2025
The dizziness hit Whitney hard. She thought it was dehydration and a quick shower and drink of water before bed would do the trick.
But the dizziness got worse. As they settled into bed, her husband, Tim, noticed Whitney talking “a little goofy.” Tim looked directly into her eyes and asked, “Are you OK?”
Whitney moaned. Tim knew, “Something is seriously wrong.”
He took Whitney to their community hospital in rural Utah. By that point, Whitney could no longer move her left leg or arm.
A CTA scan confirmed the staff’s suspicions: She was having a stroke. The major vessel carrying blood to her brain was 100% blocked. She was given a clot-busting drug and sent by helicopter to HCA Healthcare’s Ogden Regional Medical Center, a certified Primary Plus Stroke Center that offers endovascular thrombectomy treatment for stroke.
Whitney was awake for the procedure. The doctor inserted a wire into a blood vessel in her groin, which would move up to her brain to pull the clot out. Suddenly, Whitney felt movement in her neck and then a quick rush of blood to her head.
“Wow, that was crazy!” She exclaimed, as clearly as she normally spoke. She could move her arm and leg again.
“It was like I hadn’t even had a stroke.”
Almost a year later, Whitney and Tim think about all the things that went right that night. Whitney’s symptoms appeared before they fell asleep, and she got to the hospital quickly. Because of the nurses and doctors coordinating care between two hospitals, she got a brain scan, clot-busting medication, helicopter transport and a thrombectomy in quick order.
Today, Whitney is back running. In September, she completed a half-marathon. “I was just really thankful and grateful that I can still run. I can still have this normal life.”
Remember the F.A.S.T. signs of stroke: If you see Face drooping, Arm Weakness or Speech difficulty, it’s Time to call 911 so treatment can begin right away.
The HCA Healthcare Foundation is a national sponsor of Together to End Stroke(R).
