Dan Magennis lost his eyesight in one eye and realized he had a symptom of a stroke.
He called Comcast to get help with his cable.
He was connected to a customer service representative in Jackson, Mississippi and had no idea how his decision of calling Comcast before doing yard work is going to save his life.
“Had I not done that I don’t know that I would’ve gotten back out of the backyard,” said Magennis, from his hospital bed. “Honestly, it all happened so fast.”
“I didn’t really pay any attention to it, but obviously, I should have.”
When Dan made the call, he was fine but the moment he tried to speak, he couldn’t.
On the other side of the call was a woman named Kimberly Williams and she realized something was wrong. She was familiar with the slurred speech of a stroke victim because she’s heard it before.
“Only thing I was able to get was his name and then his words got slurred right away,” said Kimberly Williams. “And then I heard the phone drop.”
Williams had witnessed her grandmother having a stroke and said, “The way he was trying to respond, that’s the way my grandma was responding to me and I will never forget that.”
She started searching for responders in the Walker, Mich., area to send man’s house. Finally, she made contact with dispatchers, who immediately sent crews to Magennis’ home.
When responders arrived Magennis’ garage they rushed him to Spectrum Health Butterworth Hospital, the state’s largest comprehensive stroke center.
Dr. unclogged the artery that had caused Magennis’ stroke and said had Magennis arrived at the hospital any later, this would’ve been a different story.
“Had this person not intervened and just hung up the phone, I think [Magennis] likely would’ve had a very large left-sided stroke that would’ve left him with significant disability,” Dr. Singer said. “Under certain circumstances someone can even die from a very large stroke.”
All credit goes to Williams who took immediate action after realizing the seriousness of the situation.
“If that hadn’t happened, I’m not sure where I’d be today,” Magennis said. “I don’t think I’d be right here.”