Page 14 - UHN Year In Review 2014-15: Patients As Partners In Care

Krembil Neuroscience Centre

New way of living for stroke
‘selfie’ patient

On April 2, 2014, while driving home from work, Stacey Yepes sensed a stroke coming on. She pulled over and recorded on
her smartphone what was happening for others to see. Since the video went viral, she’s been learning a new way of living
to prevent further strokes. (Video: UHNToronto YouTube)

In 2014, Stacey Yepes suffered three Stroke (TAMS) Unit, is dedicated to a result of her minor strokes. Now,
episodes where she thought she was assessing patients at high risk for more than a year after her strokes,
having a stroke. Told she was likely stroke and providing them with the Stacey has made the necessary
just suffering from “stress,” Stacey necessary interventions to prevent it. lifestyle changes and also returned
eventually found her way to the to work full time.
Krembil Neuroscience Centre at During her assessment in the TAMS
Toronto Western Hospital (TWH) unit, Stacey was engaged in her own “The TAMS Unit really taught me
where she received the critical care and partnered with nurse a new way of living and how to
help she needed to treat what had practitioner Anne Cayley for ongoing change my lifestyle so I don’t have
actually been minor strokes. education and to develop a treatment another stroke,” she says.
plan to prevent any more strokes.
TWH has Toronto’s only day unit Link to full story: clickhere.
to treat Transient Ischemic Attacks Stacey was also referred to an out-
(TIAs) and minor strokes. The patient rehabilitation program to
Transient Ischemic Attack and Minor regain the strength she had lost as

14 Patients as Partners in Care