He was waiting for a prescription when he had a stroke

Carl Dawson has seen his share of hurricanes, having practiced law in Florida for more than 65 years. Like so many other September storms, he rode out Hurricane Irma at his generator-equipped home near Timuquana Country Club.

But a day after the storm blew through Jacksonville, causing historic flooding and power shortages, Dawson, 90, experienced another type of blackout — one which occurs in the brain when a blood vessel is blocked.

It happened while the venerable civil litigator was waiting for a prescription at his local pharmacy. All of a sudden, his right arm went limp and he couldn’t speak. He was having a stroke but couldn’t comprehend it.

“I have no memory of that event,” recalled Dawson who suffered an embolic stroke, where a blood clot travels from one part of the body to the brain, causing a life-threatening condition where every second counts. 

He was transported via ambulance to Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville with acute onset aphasia (lack of speech) and was immediately taken to the radiology lab for a brain scan, followed by a surgical procedure to remove the blood clot in his brain.

Neurosurgeon Eric Sauvageau, MD, was on duty when Dawson arrived at the emergency room with a “stroke score” in the moderate to severe range. “We have a national scale we use and the higher the number, the larger the patient’s deficit will be after the stroke,” said Dr. Sauvageau, co-director of Baptist Jacksonville’s Stroke &Cerebrovascular Center. “What Mr. Dawson had was a significant stroke, one that if you don’t do something, the chances of being disabled are very high. And because Baptist Jacksonville was open 24/7 during the storm, we were ready for Mr. Dawson when he arrived.” 

 Dr. Sauvageau used a special device known as a stent retriever to remove the clot in Dawson’s brain by making a small incision in the groin and then passing a micro catheter into the blocked vessel. The minimally invasive procedure took less than an hour. 

“We had great treatment. It was very quick,” said Dawson’s son, Carl Dawson Jr. “You would have never known that there was a hurricane the day before.” 

Dawson spent three days in Baptist’s neurointensive care unit and about a week at Brooks Rehabilitation Center before being discharged to his Timuquana Road home, where he lives with his wife, Jan. Prior to his stroke, Dawson, who started practicing law in 1951, said he was “handling about 30 cases,” including two that were set for trial. He has since retired from the profession.

“For a while, he couldn’t read or remember what he read, but his mind is so active and his aphasia is getting better all the time,” added Carl Jr., who accompanies his father to speech therapy sessions. “If Baptist Medical Center had not stayed opened through the hurricane, my dad would not be alive today.”

Time is brain when it comes to stroke. BE FAST and call 911 if you or a loved one experience any signs or symptoms of the condition. For more information, visit baptist.com/stroke.