Spotting the first signs of a stroke can be difficult, but not for 16-year-old Hannah Broadwell who acted quickly to save the life of her best friend’s mother earlier this fall.
The Gloucester High School junior was with her mom, cousin, best friend Joy McKee and Joy’s mom, Jannifer McKee, on a trip to see singer Conan Gray in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Oct. 3 when Broadwell noticed something was wrong.
After the concert, the group headed to the Cook Out drive-thru for a quick meal. Broadwell asked Jannifer to hold her food and she commented that her arm was going numb.
“As she was saying it, her words slurred,” said Broadwell.
These two signs were enough for Broadwell to declare that Jannifer was having a stroke and hurried the group to the hospital.
“We got her there in four minutes,” said Broadwell.
Due to her enrollment in health careers classes at GHS, Broadwell was well-prepared for this emergency.
In Suzanne Nester’s Health Assisting Careers class, students are taught how to recognize the signs of a diabetic emergency, heart attack and stroke.
In this class, Broadwell was taught to follow the acronym FAST (face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty, time to call 911) to remember the signs of a stroke and what to do when stroke symptoms are present. Arm weakness and speech difficulty were the signs that most stood out to Broadwell when learning about strokes because they are the symptoms most associated with this type of medical emergency.
“Those were the two that really stuck with me,” said Broadwell.
At the hospital, the group learned that Jannifer had experienced a hemorrhagic cerebrovascular accident, which is a “medical term for a stroke caused by a bleed,” according to Nester.
The hospital, which was close to the group’s hotel, was staffed with many neurologists.
“It was the best place for her to possibly be,” said Broadwell.
Due to Broadwell’s quick thinking and fast response, she “not only saved her life, but also increased her chances for a full recovery,” said Nester.
“Time is brain,” said Nester, meaning that the faster a person can get treated for a stroke or a brain bleed, the better their recovery outcome.
Jannifer was recently discharged from the hospital and is now home.
“She’s doing a lot better,” said Broadwell.
Broadwell took the Health Assisting Careers course with Nester during the second semester of her sophomore year, where she became “Stop the Bleed” (a program that teaches people how to stop the bleeding of a person who has been severely injured) and NARCAN (layperson Naloxone) certified. Nester also teaches first aid and CPR in this class. Before taking the Health Assisting Careers class, Broadwell took Introduction to Health Careers as a freshman, also with Nester.
This is Nester’s third year as the Health Careers Career and Technical Education (CTE) teacher at Gloucester High School.
“I’ve been in the medical field for about 25 years,” said Nester.
Nester graduated high school as a certified nursing assistant. She then earned her Associate of Applied Science in Nursing degree from Rappahannock Community College; her Bachelor of Science from Riverside College of Health Sciences, and her Master of Science in Nursing, specializing in nursing education, from Capella University.
At the Nov. 12 Gloucester County School Board meeting, Broadwell was presented with the “Make a Difference” award for her life-saving response.
“She’s just a really good student and I’m proud of her,” said Nester.
“She’s a really good teacher, too,” said Broadwell.
Broadwell is currently enrolled in the Sports Medicine class at GHS. She is also taking the Anatomy and Physiology dual enrollment course through RCC.
“I want to be a physical therapist,” she said.
After graduating from GHS, Broadwell said she would like to attend James Madison University or Liberty University. She is currently a member of the National Honor Society and Beta Club and is a cross country, indoor track and track athlete.
Teaching the next generation how to help their community in everyday ways is one of Nester’s top priorities as an educator.
“As a teacher, I couldn’t ask for anything better,” said Nester.