Nancy Shapiro has been a clinical pharmacist at UI Health for more than 30 years, working primarily in the Antithrombosis Clinic, helping manage blood-thinning therapies for patients with conditions like blood clots or atrial fibrillation (AFib), or following major events like surgery or stroke. In that time, she’s ordered prescriptions for just about every stroke-related medication currently on the market — but she never expected to see her name on some of those same prescriptions as a patient.
That changed around , near her office on the UI Health campus. Nancy was getting up from the restroom when she felt a sudden weakness on her left side. After trying to stand up, she lost all strength and slowly collapsed to the floor. At this point, she realized she was having a stroke.
A co-worker walked past the area a few minutes later and found her in distress. They quickly called 911 for assistance, and responders transported her to the UI Health Emergency Department a block away.
As a UI Health employee, Nancy was already in the right place for her emergency. UI Health is a certified Comprehensive Stroke Center, providing the highest level of care and personalized interventions for stroke emergencies, and is continuously recognized for meeting stringent quality standards for door-to-treatment times for stroke patients.
After testing and observation, Dr. Fernando Testai, section head and medical director of the Stroke Program, diagnosed her with a middle cerebral artery (MCA) stroke on the right side of her brain. He recommended UI Health neurosurgeons Dr. Gursant Atwal and Dr. Ali Alaraj perform a minimally invasive thrombectomy to remove the blood clot causing her stroke and restore normal blood flow to the brain.
From there, Nancy immediately went into surgery, and just four hours after the onset of her stroke symptoms, she was recovering in the ICU. With Nancy in stable condition, her care team turned to what might have caused her stroke in the first place.
She had none of the warning signs that would have made her a typical patient, such as a history of smoking, hypertension, or AFib. However, she is a breast cancer survivor, which she continued to manage with a selective estrogen receptor modulator called Tamoxifen. Increased risk of stroke is a potential side effect of the drug.
After making this discovery, her care team was able to work with her oncology doctors to find a new treatment option that would ensure her cancer remains in remission while mitigating any future stroke risk.
Nancy’s successful recovery reinforces the importance of knowing the signs and symptoms of stroke — including reminders like BE FAST — and the impact a fast response and coordinated care can have on stroke severity.
“I had my stroke on a Wednesday, and I was able to work from home by the following Monday,” Nancy said, still in a little bit of disbelief.
“I understand everyone’s story is different, and I feel lucky to have had a positive one,” she added. “But I owe a lot of that to the knowledge, teamwork, and efficiency at UI Health. ”
