During a flight from Turkey to Mexico, 35-year-old Maricela Hernandez Quezada suffered a stroke mid-air, losing the feeling in her tongue and the ability to speak. Fortunately, a doctor on board recognized the signs and saw that she was immediately administered oxygen. He then persuaded the crew to divert the flight and make an emergency landing in Houston.
Once on the ground, Quezada was rushed to the closest hospital before being airlifted to Memorial Hermann in The Woodlands for emergency surgery. Doctors were able to remove a life-threatening blood clot from her brain. At the time of the surgery, she was paralyzed on one side and still unable to speak.
Dr. Haris Kamal, Medical Director of Stroke at Memorial Hermann, says they expect Quezada to make a full recovery, and she might even be back to near-normal within a few months. He also took the opportunity to remind the public that strokes can happen at any age and stressed the importance of staying well hydrated and moving around during long flights to reduce the risk. Quezada says she’d been healthy before the incident and was shocked by the experience.
Source: CW 39