She continued capturing the stroke selfie and said, "I don't know why this is happening to me."
Based in Toronto, Yepes was reportedly already experiencing her third stroke in the short span of three days. This time however, she wanted the public's eyes on her which is why she took the stroke selfie, reports CNN. Yepes began the stroke selfie video after pulling over from driving and she recorded her symptoms.
Apparently, the video would be able to reach doctors at Toronto Western Hospital the next day. This allowed the good doctors to correctly diagnose Yepes with transient ischemic attacks, or so-called "mini-strokes," which according to medical specialists, happen due to plaque buildup in a person's arteries.
After the stroke selfie video having reached the doctors and the doctors' appropriate diagnosis, Yepes is now on cholesterol-lowering medication and blood thinners, according to ABC News. She has not experienced any more strokes after she took the stroke selfie. Many now believe that the stroke selfie may have actually saved her life.
According to NBC News, two days before Yepes took the stroke selfie, doctors from a local emergency room in her home-town Toronto had thought her face numbness and slurred speech was just due to stress. After several stroke tests being found negative, the doctors just told the legal secretary to perform breathing techniques. Because of the wrong diagnosis, Yepes suffered an additional two mini-strokes.
This incident was what started the stroke selfie.
Yepes told in an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp., "I think it was just to show somebody, because I knew it was not stress-related. And I thought if I could show somebody what was happening, they would have a better understanding."
Apparently, her stroke selfie worked and after taking the video of a mini-stroke while on her way to work, Yepes showed the it to her co-workers. They told her to immediately go to a different hospital for a proper diagnosis.
Stroke selfie video may have worked for Yepes, but it is still not advised to take a video while having a stroke and wait for a proper diagnosis. According to Dr. Markku Kaste of the World Stroke Organization, Yepes was lucky. He said, "Don't waste time on a video, just call 911. It's the same thing for everyone. If you're having a stroke, think you're having a stroke or see someone having one -- just call 911." According to the National Stroke Organization, there are about 55,000 women who experience strokes per year. Meanwhile, signs of stroke have been listed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They said that strokes generally include sudden numbness, confusion and difficulty walking. The American Stroke Association also advises to use their acronym F.A.S.T to determine whether it's time to call 911. They said FAST, which means face dropping, arm weakness and speech difficulty, means that it's time to call 911.
Below is the video of the stroke selfie taken by Yepes and saved her life:
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
