Quick -thinking

Baltimore-fast action by two US employees at American Legion Post helped save the life of a 79-year-old Vietnam veteran who has suffered a stroke, demonstrating the critical importance of recognizing stroke symptoms early.

Leroy Peyton, who voluntarily engaged in the Armed Forces Visit Program in the Upper Chesapike Health, was the American legion when bartender Dona King and assistant manager Leyan Axelson noticed his face discolored and speech.

“He was not able to communicate, there was a voice, but it didn’t make sense, and I immediately realized that we had to get him out of here. Because the weather was so critical and if it were a stroke and I was sure it was a stroke,” King said.

The paramedics rushed to Peyton to the hospital, where he received a drug to destroy clots, which Lindsay Goff, a stroke coordinator in the Upper Chesapike, credits for his recovery.

“He had significant levels of neurological deficit … I am grateful that tenectslass returned it to his main line,” Goff said.

Today, besides a slight numbness of the face, Peyton made a full recovery and continues his volunteer work, visiting patients with veterans.

Medical experts use the abbreviation BeFast to identify the symptoms of stroke: balance problems, eye problems, face sagging, hand weakness, speech difficulty and time to call 911. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause For damage, although up to 80% of strokes can be prevented.