Paul Butler's Story

The Difference Between Ordinary and Extraordinary

Paul and Carol Butler of Saybrook, Illinois, has always been a healthy and active couple. There wasn't much that held Paul back until this past January when Carol noticed one side of Paul's face began to droop, accompanied by slurring speech. Carol knew something was seriously wrong with her husband.

Carol took Paul to the Emergency Department at Gibson Area Hospital. Once examined, Paul was transferred to Advocate BroMenn Regional Medical Center in Bloomington. Following several tests, the loss of motor skills on the right side of Paul's body progressed. It was then, that Neurologist William Raino, MD, determined Paul had suffered a stroke due to multiple brain artery blockages. Dr. Raino suggested Paul be transferred to OSF St. Joseph Medical Center for immediate surgery.

At OSF St. Joseph Medical Center, Interventional Neuroradiologist Ajeet Gordhan, MD, determined Paul was a good candidate for the use of a life-saving stent to open clogged arteries in the brain. The device, called the Wingspan™ Stent System, is specifically designed to treat blockages in the brain caused by intracranial atherosclerotic disease, a condition that causes strokes in approximately 60,000 Americans each year.

Physicians use a minimally invasive technique to deploy the stent inside the brain. The Wingspan Stent, is a self-expanding, metal mesh in the shape of a tube. By conforming to the inside contour of the artery wall, the stent provides a barrier to reduce the risk of recurrent blockages that have been stented. OSF St. Joseph Medical Center is the only hospital in Bloomington-Normal able to accommodate this procedure using the Wingspan Stent.

"I knew we were in the right place when we arrived at OSF St. Joseph Medical Center. I could feel the difference," says Carol. "The medical staff knew exactly what they needed to do and they executed it."

Paul was prepped for surgery and Dr. Gordhan began by inserting the stent, via a balloon catheter into an artery in Paul's upper leg. Dr. Gordhan then navigated through the blood vessels to the site of the blockages in the brain. Only hours after the surgery, Paul had fully regained motor skills in the right side of his body and his speech began to improve.

Paul's family was so impressed with the success of the surgery and Paul's immediate progress, they requested copies of his before and after medical imaging scans. The pictures were then framed and signed by Dr. Raino and Dr. Gordhan. Why frame the scans one might ask? Simple... the before scan showed little to no blood flow to one half of Paul's brain. Nothing short of a miracle, the scans following surgery showed returned blood flow to the affected side of the brain. 

"Dr. Raino and Dr. Gordhan were a godsend," Carol said. "I truly believe my husband's outcome may not be the same if we were anywhere but OSF St. Joseph Medical Center."

Just a month after surgery, Paul completed his physical therapy and has made a full recovery. He is back to working on his cars and small projects with his buddies - something that may not have been possible without the Wingspan Stent.

"I've never needed this kind of extensive medical care," Paul said. "I am so grateful! OSF was there when I needed them." 

<<< Back to Patient Stories