'Grey’s Anatomy' fan noticed husband was unable to move left arm—her split-second decision saved him
Several fans have learned quite a deal from the popular TV series “Grey’s Anatomy.” Revolving around the life of doctors and medicine, it has given civilians a deeper dive into how it all works. A woman named Arnetia was able to use this knowledge to assist in saving the life of her husband, Silivenusi “Nusi” Tukuafu, as stated by the American Stroke Association. The couple had seen signs of worry when it came to the man’s health but ignored the caveats. When she noticed he couldn’t move his left arm after waking up one day, she didn’t spare a second before acting.
The duo were at home and when Nusi woke up, he was having trouble moving his left side. The man seemed to be fine otherwise and no one would have guessed the diagnosis he was to receive. Arnetia was worried and immediately dialed 911. When she got in touch with the dispatcher, she was asked questions — whether he could move his body, whether his face was drooping and if he could say his name. With his mouth barely moving and him being unable to move his left side at all, the dispatchers acted fast. Medics arrived and immediately transported Nusi to HCA Healthcare’s St. Mark’s Hospital, a stroke center.
To Arnetia’s surprise, it was revealed that the man had a blood clot below his ear and that’s what caused a stroke. 18 minutes into the ER, the man was given a drug for his blood clot. Nusi had to undergo a procedure called “thrombectomy” to remove the blood clot. The worried wife made her way to the emergency room with the kids and waited, hoping to hear something good. She was taken aback when she heard the public address system announce “Code Blue.” The term refers to a medical emergency where a patient is experiencing cardiac or respiratory arrest. Having watched the medical series, she had quite an understanding of what code blue meant and fear started to get to her.
“I knew it was him,” she said. Fortunately, the man’s procedure was successful. Dr. Danielle Sorte revealed to Arnetia that the thrombectomy was done. However, the wife was also informed that, as she had suspected, there were cardiac issues discovered that caused Nusi’s heart to stop during the procedure. The doctor also noted that he would require an open-heart surgery for a triple-heart bypass and months of recovery. Looking back at the terrifying scenario, it was a timely action that saved Nusi’s life.
Had Arnetia not guessed that the symptom was something serious and gotten him to the hospital in time, he would have suffered brutal consequences. “The biggest factor [working in Nusi’s favor], as we heard in the hospital, was his age. He’s young. The second thing was that we were able to catch it in time. Time was of the essence,” she explained. A year and a half after the incident, Nusi is on his way to recovery — learning to walk, talk and move his left side. He now takes his health seriously and is cautious of signs and symptoms. He is forever grateful to his wife and family for coming through in due time to save his life.
