A local firefighter who helped save his mother’s life is preparing to celebrate an extra-special Mother’s Day.
Earlier this year, Ocala firefighter Jerry Tafoya and his team responded to a call regarding an unresponsive woman whose van had collided with another vehicle in a parking lot.
Tafoya, along with his crew members, rushed to the scene. As they ran towards the vehicle to assist the woman, Tafoya had a sudden realization. The unresponsive woman inside the vehicle, who was having one of the worst strokes he had witnessed in his career, was his mother, Linda Muncy.
“I’ve been a medic for 28 years, and I get calls every single day. Usually someone who’s having a stroke can still move a little bit, but she was completely paralyzed. She had no control over anything. Seeing anyone like that is terrible, but seeing my mother like that was one of the hardest days of my life,” said Tafoya.
With the help of his crew members, Tafoya broke the window of his mother’s van and rushed her to the Comprehensive Stroke Center at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital, part of the HCA Florida Healthcare network. Within minutes, she underwent surgery, and doctors removed a blood clot that was caused by her ischemic stroke.
Today, Tafoya’s mother has no deficits.
A stroke causes two million brain cells to die every minute until blood flow is restored to the brain.
“Linda’s rescue story is extraordinary. Our team is honored to have been a part of her care and recovery, and we are beyond grateful that she can celebrate this Mother’s Day alongside her son, her rescuer,” said Dr. Iraj Nikfarjam, the neurosurgeon who cared for her at HCA Florida Ocala Hospital.
Dr. Nikfarjam added, “May is National Stroke Awareness Month, when we take time to shine a light on the signs of a stroke and the need to act quickly, as Jerry and his team did. Stroke is one of the most time-sensitive conditions in all of medicine and fast treatment is crucial to saving a life.”
Stroke is a leading cause of death in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Every second without treatment during a stroke increases the risk for brain damage, disability, or death.
Hospitals nationwide measure how quickly they provide treatment to stroke patients by what is called door-to-needle (DTN) time: the time it takes caregivers to administer medication that will dissolve a life-threatening blood clot. HCA Healthcare has reported that its hospitals respond to stroke 30% faster than the national standard.
HCA Florida Healthcare includes 10 hospitals with certified designated comprehensive stroke centers that treat thousands of patients every year.
Tafoya said, “For a day that started out normal, but was anything but, we are grateful that everything panned out the way it did that day. I’m thankful that this Mother’s Day, I am still able to celebrate with my mom by my side, and I could not be more grateful to her care providers for making it possible.”