A Patient Story – Dan

Dan O’Reilly spent most of his life just outside Detroit in Troy, Michigan where he had a successful career in divisional sales for Kmart. A little over 7 years ago, he and his wife decided to retire to scenic Crossville, Tennessee where Dan could enjoy golfing in the beautiful Fairfield Glade community.

A few months ago, Dan began experiencing bouts of dizziness and difficulty swallowing. It wasn’t until he had several occurrences falling that he knew he needed to seek help. When he entered the Cumberland Medical Center, they immediately identified his stroke. The medical team reached out to Ft. Sanders Regional Medical Center and Dan was transported immediately via helicopter.

Dr. Keith Woodward, neuro-interventional radiologist with Vista Radiology, was able to immediately recognize the problem and prepare the team for his arrival from Crossville.

While Mr. O’Reilly was being transported via helicopter, his wife followed by car to meet him at the hospital in Knoxville. He recalled the experience happening rather fast and before he knew it, he was on the operating table. “I saw Dr. Woodward going into my arteries on a TV monitor in the room. What looked like pointers going into my brain were actually his moving into my arteries to clean out the blockage,” he described. Mr. O’Reilly didn’t experience any pain and was able to return home five days following his procedure.

When Dan visited Dr. Woodward during a follow up appointment, he showed him footage from the operation and pointed out all of the areas that were blocked. “I looked at Dr. Woodward and I told him, ‘You are a miracle worker.”

Dan has returned to many of his favorite retirement pastimes including working in his yard, gardening, and golfing!