Dr. Cummings was in the right place at the right time to help Deborah while she was having a stroke
“Deborah, follow my finger. Deborah! Follow my finger!”
The loud commands being shouted by a stranger in the emergency waiting room is the last memory Deborah North can recall from this past March 11th. The owner of Lewisburg’s Pineapple Inn Bed & Breakfast was taken to her local hospital after feeling fatigued, weak and dizzy. “I was so confused,” she said. “Then I heard him yell: Stroke! Stroke! Stroke! Within seconds, everything went blurry again.”
Lucky for Deborah, neurologist Christopher Cumming, Geisinger’s director of stroke, was in that same ER waiting room with his 3-year-old son due to a minor arm injury. Knowing that women don’t always show textbook examples of stroke symptoms, Dr. Cummings jumped into action, joining the team of doctors who confirmed the stroke diagnosis following a second CAT scan. Deborah was then Life Flighted to Geisinger Medical Center.
“The doctors at the local hospital were great but I really needed a stroke specialist. Had Dr. Cummings not been in the waiting room when I came in – and cared enough to help – I might not have received the proper stroke treatment in time and could have suffered long-term effects.”
Today, Deborah is back at work at her charming, Federal-style B&B that dates back to 1857 and is known for its French toast breakfast. “Because of Dr. Cummings, I’m back to serving others.” #GeisingerStories
The loud commands being shouted by a stranger in the emergency waiting room is the last memory Deborah North can recall from this past March 11th. The owner of Lewisburg’s Pineapple Inn Bed & Breakfast was taken to her local hospital after feeling fatigued, weak and dizzy. “I was so confused,” she said. “Then I heard him yell: Stroke! Stroke! Stroke! Within seconds, everything went blurry again.”
Lucky for Deborah, neurologist Christopher Cumming, Geisinger’s director of stroke, was in that same ER waiting room with his 3-year-old son due to a minor arm injury. Knowing that women don’t always show textbook examples of stroke symptoms, Dr. Cummings jumped into action, joining the team of doctors who confirmed the stroke diagnosis following a second CAT scan. Deborah was then Life Flighted to Geisinger Medical Center.
“The doctors at the local hospital were great but I really needed a stroke specialist. Had Dr. Cummings not been in the waiting room when I came in – and cared enough to help – I might not have received the proper stroke treatment in time and could have suffered long-term effects.”
Today, Deborah is back at work at her charming, Federal-style B&B that dates back to 1857 and is known for its French toast breakfast. “Because of Dr. Cummings, I’m back to serving others.” #GeisingerStories
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