Scott Walsh
On the morning of February 6, 2018, Kihei resident Scott Walsh collapsed as he was getting out of bed. Although he felt normal, his left leg was strangely weak. "I said, 'I'm okay,'" recalls Scott, age 66. "My wife said, 'You're not OKAY—I'm calling 911.'"
At Maui Memorial Medical Center, Scott learned he was having a stroke. Knowing that every second counts in treating a stroke, doctors took immediate action to save his life. They first administered a "clot-buster" medication. When tests showed the blood vessels in his brain were still blocked, Scott underwent surgery. Doctors inserted a catheter into his femoral artery, and performed a procedure known as a mechanical thrombectomy to remove blood clots from blood vessels in his brain.
Scott spent two days in the hospital and then returned home. Three weeks later, after physical therapy, Scott, who owns Kihana Nursery in Kihei, had almost completely recovered. He could go back to work and get back to his favorite activities, like throw-net fishing, walking on the beach, and diving.
Scott credits his remarkable recovery to the fast treatment he received at Maui Memorial. "They had everything they needed to do the operation," he says. "If I'd had to go Oahu or the Mainland, I'd be in a wheelchair for the rest of my life—or I'd be dead."