"Kid, you saved me."

Ron Ragland, a stroke survivor from Antioch, is happy he is able to make his visit back to the TriStar Summit Outpatient Rehabilitation Center and see his “guardian angel.” His angel is Aubrey Poythress, the clinical coordinator at the TriStar Summit Outpatient Rehabilitation Center. Just a few weeks ago, Ron woke up feeling really bad and knew he needed help.

“I didn’t have much color, and I knew something was wrong. I knew I couldn’t make my rehab appointment – and I couldn’t remember my wife’s cell number or much of anything else. I found my appointment sheet and called to say I couldn’t make it today, and left a message for Aubrey,” said Ron. “At this point I was really dizzy and feeling worse. She must have checked the message because she called right back and before I knew it, she had called an ambulance and fire truck to come get me.”

Aubrey says she knew right away Ron’s condition, based on his history and working with him in the outpatient rehabilitation center. 

“I noticed right away from his voicemail that he didn’t sound good when he said, ‘please call me.’ It turns out that Ron was in heart failure when he called and when the EMTs arrived, they told me his pulse rate was only 20. I’m grateful the ambulance got to him so quickly and stabilized him,” says Aubrey.

Ron came back a week later to visit Aubrey and the outpatient rehab team. He was so grateful for Aubrey’s quick action without any hesitation.

“Aubrey got me through a dangerous situation. I wouldn’t have made it if Aubrey hadn’t steeped up,” said Ron. “That moment came on quick and I wasn’t all there, everything was gray, but that’s when I called my buddy. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for her. Kid, you saved me.”

Ron is feeling better today and happy to be alive. He looks forward to returning to the TriStar Summit Outpatient Rehab Center soon for his therapy. We are grateful to Ron for sharing his story and for Aubrey’s life-saving response for one of our patients.

“Every day on the way to work, I say, ‘God, help me make a difference,” says Aubrey. “That was a good day. It kind of took my breathe away that day.”