A woman was left in shock when a simple selfie revealed a serious health concern that led her to be rushed straight to the emergency room.
It was a day like any other and she was feeling quite good about herself, when Juanita Branch decided to take a new photo for her Facebook account. But things soon turned serious when the 63-year-old realised she wasn’t looking like her usual self, the Macomb Daily reports.
On further inspection Juanita noticed her lips were twisted and her face was drooping to one sign; it was a sign of a stroke.
Thankfully for the American resident she picked up on the symptoms having previously suffered a mini stroke.
It wasn’t long before the effects of the stroke began to worsen , she started to lose her balance and her speech began to slur. After quickly calling for help, Juanita was rushed by ambulance to the emergency room of the Henry Ford Macomb Hospital.
According to doctors, the Baby Boomer had noticed the signs just in time and they were able to administer a special drug which effectively saved her life. Juanita spent a few days in hospital following the stroke before returning home.
“She’s doing great. Seeing her now compared to how she was when she came in, she’s 100 per cent better,” Dr Jason Muir, the emergency room physician who treated Juanita said.
Thankful she had decided to take the snap, Juanita told Macomb Daily she is feeling fantastic and has even considered writing a book about her experience.
“If I had been sitting on the couch watching television, I might have never realised I was having a stroke,” she explained.
“That selfie, literally did save my life.”
While most people are aware that strokes are a serious health condition impacting many people both in Australia and around the world, many aren’t aware how serious they can be.
Strokes are one of Australia’s biggest killers, claiming more lives than breast cancer and prostate cancer. They’re also one of the leading causes of disability, with more than 56,000 new and recurrent strokes to be recorded by the end of 2018 alone.
Some of the biggest risk factors of a stroke include age, having a family history of strokes, while men are also more likely to experience them. An array of lifestyle factors including smoking status, obesity, poor exercise and high cholesterol and blood pressure can also increase your risk.