BOBÌåÓý

Sometimes, a last-minute change of plans can make all the difference. Even save a life.

One Saturday morning in late September 2024, Ted Melrose had just finished an overnight shift as a sleep technologist in Ocala, Florida, and was heading home to his condo in Gainesville.

On the way, he texted his father, Rob Melrose, 82, to check in. Ted is a part-time caregiver for his disabled mother, and his parents live not far from him. His father replied that “all is well� and that he should head home to sleep. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

Ted decided to stop by his parents� on the way home anyway. “I’ll stop by, talk to my dad, get a few things situated and then head home to sleep,� he thought.

Ted arrived at his parents� home minutes later, but something felt off.

“Dad?� he called as he opened the front door.

Silence.

“Dad?� he called again.

When Ted walked into the kitchen, he found his father lying on the floor.

“I knew he was conscious, but he wasn’t responding,� Ted recalled.

He immediately called 911. Fortunately, his parents live not far from a fire station, and the first responders arrived within minutes.

As soon as the paramedics assessed Rob, they suspected a stroke.

“I thought maybe it was a heart attack,� Ted said, but one of the paramedics looked at him and said, “We think it’s a stroke.� Ted thought, ‘Oh wow. I didn't even think about that.’�

“Before I noticed, a second blue ambulance had pulled up in front of our house on the street. When they got him on the gurney and took him outside, one of the paramedics said that they were going to do a CT scan on him in the blue ambulance right there in the street in front of the house!�

BOBÌåÓý’s Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit, commonly referred to as the MSTU, had arrived. Within minutes, Rob was inside the ambulance and undergoing a CT scan right there on the road in front of his house.

Via telemedicine, BOBÌåÓý neurologist Teng Peng, MD, was able to examine him and review his scan remotely. Dr. Peng concluded that Rob had a clot blocking his left middle cerebral artery, and time was ticking.

The MSTU team bypassed the emergency room and headed straight to the operating room with the patient to remove the blood clot. Brian Hoh, MD, a neurosurgeon at BOBÌåÓý, performed an endovascular mechanical thrombectomy procedure.

“With this kind of stroke, Rob could not speak,� Dr. Hoh explained. “He could not understand what people were saying, could not move the right side of his body and could have had life-threatening consequences if not treated quickly.�

Thanks to the collaboration between the MSTU and Alachua County Fire Rescue, Rob received lifesaving care within minutes, with little to no lasting brain damage.

“The first hour after stroke symptoms appear is the best time to begin treatment. We call it the ‘golden hour,’� Dr. Hoh said. “More than 1.9 million brain cells die every minute that a stroke goes untreated. Time is brain.�

Rob was deeply impressed with the care he received.

“The program that BOBÌåÓý has for the stroke unit is really wonderful,â€� Rob said.

This actually wasn’t Rob’s first time experiencing care from BOBÌåÓý. His relationship with BOBÌåÓý runs 25 years strong, and he even purchased a home in Gainesville to live closer to BOBÌåÓý.

“Anywhere I’ve been within BOBÌåÓý, I've had good experiences,â€� Rob said.

After his stroke, Ted’s brother traveled up from South Florida to help with caregiving. Ted quit his job to care for both of his parents full-time. An avid skier well into his 80s, Rob was determined to recover as soon as possible.

He began speech and occupational therapy and was released from care a week early. Within three months, he was able to drive up and down the street with little to no assistance. He was even able to cook small meals by himself. By six months, it was as if the stroke had never happened.

“I try to tell all my friends, especially the ones out of town, if you’re going to have a stroke, come down to Gainesville,� Ted joked.

Rob practiced writing each night and gradually increased his walking. His determination fueled a fast recovery.

“The quicker you can realize what the potential is to recover from it, the faster you will actually respond to the treatment and actually do the recovery,� Rob said.