Woman says selfies alerted her to stroke, saved her life
A southeast Michigan woman says her selfies were more than social media fun - they saved her life after she noticed signs of a stroke in her pictures.
At Henry Ford Hospital in Clinton Township Wednesday, nearly a month after suffering a stroke, Juanita Branch told the frightening realization occurred on Aug. 13.
"I decided to get up and take a selfie to update my Facebook Page," she said.
As she was snapping pictures, she looked through them and noticed something was not right.
"Each one got worse and I'm like what the heck is going on?" Branch said.
Startled, she went to check her face in the bathroom mirror. She noticed one side of her face was drooping.
Branch began preparing to go to the hospital when her symptoms got worse, fast.
"I sat back down, this time, I balance and everything is gone," she said.
By the time an ambulance arrived, Branch was losing her speech.
At the hospital, doctors asked her what she was doing when she realized she was having a stroke. The selfies saved the day once again.
Doctors looked at the selfie's time stamp and realized Branch was able to receive the clot-busting drug TPA -- or tissue plasminogen activator.
"If we give TPA beyond that three hour mark it could be dangerous. It can cause bleeding in the brain and can be life-threatening," Dr. Jason Muir said.
Branch had another stroke in 2016, so she recognized the symptoms. But she said this one was worse.
"I've seen people who've waited, and it's too late really," she said.
She is reminding everyone to pay attention to the signal their bodies are sending.
Branch also promises that maybe she won't be as hard on people taking selfies.
"I'm gonna stop making fun of people who take selfies. Because that selfie literally did save my life," she said.