Bill Wannemacher woke up one morning at 4 a.m. in obvious distress. His wife Suzanne could tell from his difficulty speaking that he was having a stroke. But, at the time, she didn't know he was suffering a hemorrhagic stroke. Luckily, her fast action in calling the EMS that delivered Bill to Mercy Health - St. Rita's Medical Center gave him valuable time to reverse the effects. And gifts to Neuroscience and Inpatient Rehabilitation Services at St. Rita's likely saved Bill's life.

You see, donor support recently helped St. Rita’s get certified as a comprehensive stroke care center. And it's one of the only certified facilities in the entire region. Now, patients like Bill receive the highest level of care for serious stroke events close to home, when every minute counts.

"The whole process was just perfect timing," says Suzanne. "The EMTs were making phone calls to St. Rita’s en route. As soon as we walked in, they took him directly to CT for a scan."

“We are so thankful they have the stroke center there. We can’t say enough how important it is that Lima has that care instead of going to big cities."

Suzanne and Bill are grateful that your donations helped to secure the stroke certification for St. Rita’s.

“We had so much good care there,” Suzanne says. “The doctors were phenomenal, and the therapy team was tremendous.”

Now Bill is back at home and in outpatient physical and occupational therapy. The only outward sign of his stroke is the cane he uses to walk. Suzanne credits your support of St. Rita’s for his progress.

“Bill wouldn’t be where he is right now without the care he got there. We can’t praise them enough.”