TEAMING UP
TO TACKLE
STROKE DETECTION
What began as an emergency room visit for mild, unsettling symptoms turned into a philanthropist-physician partnership to transform stroke detection.
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Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation
Mary Catherine Jones was age 31 and 10 weeks pregnant when she suddenly had trouble speaking and dropped a phone from her right hand. She sought emergency care, but her symptoms had subsided and her initial brain scan was normal. Unfortunately, Jones experienced a transient ischemic attack (TIA) — which occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is temporarily blocked and causes stroke symptoms — that went undetected. Instead, she was cleared to attend a Houston
Texans game and advised to follow up with a neurologist. This is how Jones met Houston Methodist neurologist, Dr. John J. Volpi. “I was lucky after that close call,” recalls Jones, who had a 10% risk of suffering another stroke within 90 days. Inspired by her patient experience and Dr. Volpi’s work, Jones and her family directed a gift from the Scurlock Foundation to support stroke detection research. There are many effective stroke treatments available. The challenge is
