Corey Showers, a firefighter, was working at a Kinston, N.C. fire station last May when the unthinkable happened — he had a stroke, according to The Free Press.
While lifting a patient, his left carotid artery dissected and the inner wall of his artery opened up. Suddenly a clot formed and broke loose, prohibiting speech and movement on the entire ride side of Mr. Showers' body.
The other firefighters quickly recognized the signs and took him to Kinston-based Lenoir Memorial Hospital. Thankfully for Mr. Showers, LMH is part of the WFBMC Telestroke Network, a program that gives it access to experts at Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center.
While at LMH, Mr. Showers was seen by a neurologist at Wake Forest Baptist via a small robot. The neurologist suggested treatment — a tissue plasminogen activator — for Mr. Showers, who quickly regained his speech and motor skills.
Now, the telemedicine robot at LMH is being named after the man it saved. It wears a personalized license plate that bears the name "Corey."
"This young man has devoted his life to public service, so it seemed fitting to name the robot after him," said LMH nurse Dawn Becker, RN, in a statement, according to the report.