When Seconds Count
This Jackson stroke victim has a new lease on life following heroic actions by his wife and a rapid response from the Stroke Center at Jersey Shore University Medical Center.

Thanks to his wife’s quick thinking and Jersey Shore’s quick treatment, Richard Surdyka has recovered strikingly well from a sudden stroke that threatened his life with Marie.

It started out as a routine morning for Richard Surdyka of Jackson as he drove his wife, Marie, to work. "But then he started to swerve, then straightened out. When I asked him if he was okay, he didn’t say anything, and I didn’t think more of it," Marie recounts. A few moments later, however, Richard swerved again. "When I questioned him once more and he still didn’t move, I knew something was terribly wrong."

With the car careening down the road and Richard not responding, Marie climbed to the driver’s side of the vehicle, fought her way to the pedals and steering wheel, and managed to stop the car on the side of the road.

"As I looked at Richard’s face, I saw that half of it was drooping down, and he still was not responding to me. I knew he was having a stroke," Marie continues. "I was terrified and in shock. Thankfully, a woman stopped and helped us, and when the paramedics arrived, they told me we had to get him to Jersey Shore University Medical Center."

Top-Notch Treatment
The top reason the paramedics urged Marie to head for Jersey Shore is that the hospital became a nationally designated Primary Stroke Center this year — one of the first hospitals in the state to earn this designation and the very first in Monmouth and Ocean counties.

The Stroke Center’s team was ready for the Surdykas immediately upon their arrival. Richard was quickly assessed by Alan Deutsch, D.O., board-certified neurologist, and within an hour and a half, he had undergone comprehensive tests, had been diagnosed, and had been given what’s commonly called a "clot-busting drug" to remove the blood vessel blockage causing the stroke. Following this successful treatment and subsequent rehabilitation, Richard is living today with virtually no side effects of his stroke.

"Every second counts when it comes to treating stroke," affirms Stephen Martino, M.D., board-certified neurologist and medical director of the Stroke Center. "We have built a team here that implements a rapid response for stroke patients, maintaining the highest national standards for quality."

A Local Center with National Credentials
Since its launch in 2005, Jersey Shore’s Stroke Center has quickly developed into the region’s leading comprehensive stroke resource. In less than a year, the program was designated as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations, the first of its kind in our two-county area.

Jersey Shore was also one of only 31 hospitals in the nation to receive the Performance Achievement Award at the 2006 International Stroke Conference. In the company of such other esteemed institutions as Johns Hopkins, Jersey Shore was recognized for its quality stroke treatment performance.

There’s Hope for Stroke
With stroke as the leading cause of long-term disability in the United States, public awareness of quick symptom detection and treatment is on the rise.

"People used to view stroke with only fear and fatalism," notes Alison Trembly, R.N., nurse-practitioner at Stroke Center. "But now our society has become better educated about stroke; and at Jersey Shore, we are able to provide our communities with the best reasons to have hope."

Marie agrees. "I can’t say enough about the doctors, nurses, and team at Jersey Shore, who worked so quickly and were also so kind and caring. Having this resource so close to home is why my husband is alive today and living healthy."

– Mike Valentino