Maddy Jean Louis and Broward Sherriff’s Office Special Ops Unit members were once again atop the Memorial Regional Hospital helipad, but that’s where the similarities to the last time they were together end.

The teenager, her mom, Renise, and neuro-interventionalist Norman Ajiboye, MD, greeted the BSO team as they arrived in Hollywood by helicopter for an event recognizing the life-saving care they and other agencies provide stroke victims in Broward County. Jean Louis was walking, smiling, and climbed into the helicopter, quite the contrast from when the same crew had to airlift the teen to Memorial after a major stroke left her completely incapacitated.

Jean Louis was one of several stroke survivors in attendance as Memorial Neuroscience Institute honored local EMS crews for the rapid response and early care that gives stroke victims the best opportunity to survive and recover. The event, which took place on the first day of National Stroke Awareness Month, specifically reunited first responders that included BSO and representatives of the cities of Hollywood, Pembroke Pines, Davie, Miramar, and Sunrise with the individuals whose lives they helped save.

“We’ve worked very hard to ensure there is a coordinated effort between EMS teams and Memorial to do everything possible to get stroke victims the care they need as quickly as possible, with the goal being to completely reverse any deficits the stroke causes,” said Brijesh Mehta, MD, medical director, Comprehensive Stroke Program, and chief of Neurointerventional Surgery. “Some of those at this event wouldn’t have lived or even survived without significant disabilities if their symptoms hadn’t been recognized early and if clinical teams had not acted fast.”

In the United States, someone has a stroke every 40 seconds, and every 3.5 minutes, someone dies from the interruption of blood flow to the brain. Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death and the leading cause of long-term disability nationwide.

The stroke Noelia Gutierrez suffered came just eight days after the birth of her third child and had her nearly comatose upon arrival at Memorial Hospital West. Caused by a complete blockage of the artery supplying blood to the brain stem, the then 29-year-old struggled with multi-tasking after the crisis but ultimately regained her abilities and returned to a career in nursing. Today, she is a spokesperson for the American Stroke Association, dedicating her efforts to raising stroke awareness in the Hispanic community through the B.E.F.A.S.T. (Balance, Eyes, Face, Arms, Speech, Time) and RÁPIDO programs that teach the public to act quickly when stroke symptoms appear. For her efforts, Gutierrez was honored with the first “Stroke Ambassador Award.”