A woman in New York says that FaceTime saved her life while she was on a call with her sister. Her sister noticed that something wasn't right about her during the call. She could see that there was something wrong with her sister's face as they talk.
Her sister's ability to notice that something wasn't right about her saved her life.
Stroke Detection
Opokua Kwapong lives alone in New York when she was on a FaceTime call with her sister. Adumea Sapong, her sister, lives in Manchester, England. During the FaceTime with her sister, she saw that there was something wrong with her sister's face.
Kwapong said that her sister could tell that something wasn't right with her because of her face. She also noticed that Kwapong was slurring her words. At first, Kwapong didn't believe her sister and thought that she was just teasing her.
Kwapong had told her sister that she hadn't been feeling well, that she was feeling tired and was having a hard time walking. After Sapong urged Kwapong to take an aspirin, she realized that her sister couldn't lift the glass of water.
She also noticed that Kwapong's face was drooping. It was only until after Sapong brought in a second opinion from another one of her sisters that Kwapong listened to her. The third sister is a doctor and after hearing her slurred speech they both recommended that she go see a doctor.
Kwapong immediately called 911. She was diagnosed with having a clot in the brain. Kwapong had suffered a stroke that left the left side of her body paralyzed.
"There is no doubt that FaceTime saved my life. If my sister had not noticed that something was not right, then things could have been so different," Kwapong said to the BBC. "Not only did technology save my life, it now also allows me to live my life."
She added that if it had not been for FaceTime that she would not have survived the stroke.
Stroke Prevention
People who have already had a stroke are more likely to be at risk to suffer another stroke. The risk of stroke is tenfold higher for someone who had it in the past.
Some of the causes of the stroke could be an abnormal heart rhythm - which can cause blood to clot - or the narrowing of the carotid artery in the beck. Other factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol are also addressed because they can increase the risk of a stroke.
To prevent stroke doctors also prescribe patients with antiplatelet and anticoagulants. Both drugs make it harder for blood to clot. This includes drugs like aspirin, which is the most common and effective drug against clotting. Based on a patient's medical history doctors
