Nurse Spots Stroke, Saves Husband Visiting His Sick Wife

A nurse's sharp eye turned what could have been a double tragedy into a story of hope for an 83-year-old couple in Henderson, Kentucky.

Last November, Phillis Ragsdale suffered a stroke at home and was rushed to Deaconess Hospital for treatment. Her husband Gary, also 83, refused to leave her side during recovery.

But as Gary prepared to visit Phillis one day, something felt wrong. His arm began twitching uncontrollably, and his right leg went numb.

"My goodness, I've got a pinched nerve or something," Gary thought, pushing through the pain to reach his wife. He didn't realize his body was sending urgent warning signals.

When Gary arrived at the hospital, nurse Heather Hawkins immediately noticed his unsteady walk. She asked him to squeeze both her hands and saw the right side was weak.

"I think you're having a stroke," Hawkins told him directly. "We're going to have to get you down to the emergency room."

Her quick assessment was correct. Gary was indeed having a stroke, and Hawkins' fast action got him the emergency care he desperately needed.

Sunny's Take

The story gets even more touching. While both Gary and Phillis recovered in the same hospital, the staff worked tirelessly to make sure the devoted couple could still see each other every day.

"Whenever they weren't doing things with him, he'd come down and visit me," Phillis remembers. "And most of the time I would want to go visit him."

Gary calls Hawkins a blessing. "She was just a blessing for our family, for me," he says. "Thank you."

Today, both are home doing therapy together and looking forward to celebrating their 9th wedding anniversary. What started as Gary's determination to support his wife through illness became a testament to the power of trained observation and quick medical action.