Young Mom Strokes on the Soccer Field (pkg)

More than 800,000 Americans suffer from stroke every year, but most people don’t expect to have a stroke at a young age. So, when 33-year-old Jessica Cook became dizzy, nauseous and had trouble standing at her son’s soccer game, nobody recognized the signs as a possible stroke. Friends thought she was overheated or dehydrated. Thankfully, someone called 911 — a decision that saved her life. Once at Mayo Clinic in Florida, doctors identified a torn vertebral artery in her neck and determined it had caused the stroke. Interventional neurosurgeon Dr. Ricardo Hanel and his team rushed Jessica to surgery. Without it, she had a 90 percent chance of dying. Because of a prompt diagnosis and quick medical attention, this mother of three is back  juggling work, home life and her children’s schedules.

Journalists: Sound bites with Dr.Hanel, the edited patient pkg., additional b-roll are available in the downloads