Mildred Celebrates 107th Birthday Thanks to Stroke Rescue

Mildred, 107, got up Jan. 27 to eat breakfast at her skilled nursing community in Harrisonville, Missouri, feeling much like herself. Then, suddenly, she struggled to speak. Her right side wouldn’t cooperate. Unable to press the call button, Mildred called out down the hall.

Thankfully, a nurse heard her and knew from her face that Mildred was having a stroke. Emergency staff were about to send Mildred to a nearby hospital, but her son, Larry, wanted Saint Luke’s.

“We've had prior experience with Saint Luke's with heart surgeries in our family,” he says. “My mom’s heart doctors are there, and she's had great outcomes.”

Paramedics quickly transported Mildred to Saint Luke’s Hospital of Kansas City, where she was met by emergency physician Aaron Kaus, MD, and the code neuro nurse upon arrival.  

As she was still experiencing right-sided facial droop and paralysis of her right arm and leg, she was sent for emergent imaging and stroke neurologist, Karin Olds, MD, was notified.  Imaging revealed a large blockage in one of the main arteries in Mildred's brain had caused her stroke. At this point, William Holloway, MD, neurointerventional radiologist, arrived to the bedside.

To reduce damage to the brain, strokes need to be treated quickly. This is typically done by physically removing the blockage in a procedure called a thrombectomy. However, at 106 years old Mildred wasn't a typical patient. Her care team needed to make sure she was physically able to withstand the stress of surgery.  

Up until the stroke, Mildred was alert, mentally sharp, and largely independent. She was able to get up on her own, feed herself, and engage with those around her. After discussions with Mildred and her family, her care team was comfortable moving forward with a thrombectomy.

Every second counts

Within 51 minutes of arriving at the hospital, Mildred was taken to a suite in Saint Luke’s Neurointerventional Radiology.

The thrombectomy, performed by a neurointerventional team led by William Holloway, MD, successfully removed the clot and restored full blood flow to Mildred’s brain. In thrombectomy, surgeons remove a blood clot, guided by real-time imaging.

Larry knows every second matters when dealing with strokes.

“That’s why my mom’s recovery’s been so good,” he says. “They were on it immediately.”

Mildred’s speech gradually returned, improving day by day. MRI imaging showed tissue necrosis in the left putamen—part of the forebrain that is involved with learning and motor control—and her stroke was attributed to an irregular heartbeat, also known as atrial fibrillation. She started on apixaban for stroke prevention and worked closely with therapy teams during her recovery.

The good life

Today, Mildred continues rehabilitation at her skilled nursing facility in Harrisonville. Her speech has largely recovered, and she is working daily with therapists to regain strength on her right side and regain her independence.

Mildred, who just celebrated her 107th birthday, has lived nearly her entire life in Cass County. She played the church piano for years, drove well into her 100s, and still enjoys weekly bingo.  

It’s rare for someone to be as independent as Mildred at that age. But her secret for living a long life is simple:

“Live a good life,” she says.

For Larry, seeing his mother recover has been nothing short of remarkable.

“When I first saw her, I didn’t think the upside was going to be very good,” he says. “But it’s turned out absolutely wonderful for her to recover to this degree. It’s all because of the doctors and the care she received.”

Having just turned 107, Mildred is still doing what she’s always done: taking things one day at a time, showing up for therapy, and proving age is just a number.

About Saint Luke’s  

Saint Luke's Hospital of Kansas City has consistently earned several prestigious honors for stroke care, including by The Joint Commission as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, and the state of Missouri as a Level I Time Critical Diagnosis Center for Stroke. Nationally, Saint Luke's beats key benchmark numbers for stroke care.