Bryan Booker

What Bryan Booker assumed was just a stubborn cold quickly escalated into back-to-back medical emergencies.

Booker lives an active lifestyle and wasn’t taking any medication. He started having chest congestion symptoms, so he took an over-the-counter medication and didn’t think much of it.

Even when he began feeling out of breath while doing lawn chores, he blamed the discomfort on the lingering cold and didn’t consider it serious.

Life moved along as usual. Bryan spent his days doing what he loves, working with kids with autism as a behavioral therapist, helping them build social skills and cope in heathy ways.

Then one night, his symptoms escalated, and Booker couldn’t ignore them anymore.

His heart began racing and his breathing became increasingly difficult. At 3 a.m., he went to the HCA Florida Riverview Emergency, located close to his home.

Emergency in the middle of the night

When Booker arrived at HCA Florida Riverview Emergency, he was experiencing significant shortness of breath. The ER team quickly recognized signs of a possible heart condition and immediately provided oxygen support, diagnostic testing and cardiac and respiratory monitoring.

Because Booker’s flu like symptoms had worsened gradually, he didn’t realize the seriousness of his condition. He wasn’t prepared to hear that he wouldn’t be able to return home. He quickly called his mom, whom he is very close to, to explain what was going on. He was admitted to HCA Florida Brandon Hospital.

When he arrived at Brandon Hospital, the cardiac team performed an echocardiogram and determined that his heart was weak and not beating efficiently. Fluid had been settling in his lungs, causing congestion. Thankfully, his heart arteries were clear of blockages. The cardiac team also ordered an MRI of his heart.

The Stroke

After returning to his hospital room, Booker suddenly experienced a stroke, an event he still struggles to describe.

“I felt like something scared me. I jumped out of bed and my phone hit the floor. I had been talking to my mom,” said Booker.

His mom heard the commotion and heard her son say, “Oh my god.” She called out to him, but he was unable to speak. He panicked and couldn’t figure out how to use the phone. He was in the midst of a stroke.

She kept repeating to him, “hit the call button. Hit the call button,” and Bryan was finally able to press it.  

The Brandon Hospital team rushed into his room at 6:54 p.m. and he still couldn’t speak. His nurses recognized that something was wrong. His nurse, Helena Sostre, immediately assessed Booker’s condition by doing a neuro check and performing an NIH Stroke Scale.

They rushed him to have a CT scan, which confirmed that he was having an ischemic stroke. He was diagnosed with an acute lateral left frontal lobe CVA.  

After an evaluation, the stroke team approved him for the lifesaving clot-busting medication, Tenecteplase (TNK). For patients who are candidates for treatment with TNK, the restoration of normal blood flow to the brain can minimize, and in some cases, eliminate life-changing deficits that may have occurred without treatment.

From identification of the stroke symptoms to comprehensive stoke assessment and screening to treatment with TNK, the process was only 25 minutes. This level of care is why HCA Florida Brandon Hospital is considered a Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center and is consistently awarded the Get with Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Achievement for Stroke by the American Heart Association.

“They know their patients. It contributes to their fast action; they were able to identify that something was wrong with me immediately. It was life changing. I don’t know what condition I would be in right now if they hadn’t moved so quickly,” said Booker.

“Due to the location of Bryan’s stroke, it affected his speech and understanding of language. His nurses identified the stroke symptoms and responded with a stroke alert which accelerates Brandon Hospital’s processes to enable the best outcome,” said Dr. Allauddin Khan, neurologist at Brandon Hospital.

Quick Recovery

He shares his recovery from the stroke has been amazing. The stroke affected the right side of Booker’s face the most. Over the next 24 hours, Bryan practiced pronouncing difficult sounds and words until he could speak to them naturally again.

“My mom said, ‘I can’t believe that just yesterday you couldn’t speak,’” said Booker.

“I’m so grateful for Shawn, Myra, Elexey, Nelly, Jamal, Brenna, Minerva, Elianie and Tammy. Their genuine level of care goes beyond a job, they genuinely care about my well-being. After the stroke, it elevated it times 10. I saw how passionate the team is about their job, making sure how well I did in my follow-up. They were so happy to see that I was doing well, truly meant a lot,” said Booker.

Booker has returned home. His mom admits the stroke traumatized her but is feeling better with every cardiac appointment. She is helping Booker embrace his new healthy diet and Bryan is back to helping kids that thrive with his support.  He is grateful for his care at Brandon Hospital and the team that acted so quickly on his behalf. He now takes medication to strengthen his heart, and doctors expect him to make a full recovery.