MEMPHIS, Tenn. — University of Tennessee College of Medicine unveiled a vehicle expected to save lives. The mobile stroke unit is the first of its kind in the world.
The stroke rate in Shelby County is 37 percent higher than the rest of the country, according to local doctors.
One stroke victim is determined to use his story to help others.
Jackson Moore didn’t think it could happen to him. His life changed instantly in February 2005.
“When I woke up, I did not have any feeling in the left side of my body, I was disoriented, slurring my speech, couldn’t get my shoes on, of course I had my cellphone nearby and I crawled to it,” he said.
Moore called his brother-in-law who’s a doctor. Moore realized he was having a stroke when he was rushed to the hospital.
He spent a few days in intensive care and 60 days in rehab.
“I could not walk, I was in the wheel chair, they taught me how to walk again,” he said.
Because Moore wants his own story to help others, he helped pay for the mobile stroke unit that was unveiled today.
“What this will do is being the standard of care normally delivered in the emergency room or the hospital to the patients’ door step, and our goal for this is to get in the first hour when someone starts having symptoms of a stroke,” said Joseph Rike, who he helped unveil the unit.
Rike said the new system is unique in many ways.
“The only one actually in the world that uses this type of CT machine and what we will be delivering is a hospital grade CT scan in the field,” he explained.
“I know, being involved in it, helping finance it, I know I’m going to impact a lot of people’s lives that I’ll never know,” Moore said.
A number of other donors helped pay for the mobile unit.
Crews will start operating the unit next month.
