Detroit Woman Says Selfies Alerted Her To Stroke, Saved Her Life

Juanita Branch, 63, noticed her symptoms getting progressively worse with each selfie.



A Michigan woman is crediting a series of selfies she took one morning with helping to save her life after she noticed she was suffering from symptoms of a stroke. Juanita Branch, 63, said that she was planning to upload the pictures to her Facebook on Aug. 13 when she noticed something was off.

“Each one got worse and I’m like, ‘What the heck is going on?’” Branch told Fox 2 Detroit.

Branch, who had suffered a stroke in June 2016, said she saw her face drooping on one side, and that she started losing her balance so she called for an ambulance. Branch told the news outlet that once she got to the hospital her speech had started to go, and that her doctor asked to see the seflies.

Her doctor studied the timestamp on the selfies and realized that there was still time to give her a clot-busting drug to aid her recovery.

“If we give TPA beyond the three-hour mark it could be dangerous,” Dr. Jason Muir told Fox 2 Detroit. “It can cause bleeding in the brain and can be life-threatening.”

Branch is working on physical therapy and preparing to head home, but said that she’s gained a new appreciation for people who take selfies.

“I’m going to stop making fun of people who take selfies,” she told Fox 2 Detroit. “Because that selfie literally did save my life.”

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