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Gabriel Silva, a 17-year-old teenager, survived a stroke a few weeks ago thanks to the instinct of his dog, who did everything to wake the boy’s parents. An intervention which avoided serious after-effects for the teenager.
It’s a beautiful story between a dog and a human that comes to us from the New York Post and other American media today, as World Stroke Day approaches (October 29). On August 26, Gabriel Silva, a 17-year-old teenager living in Texas, was saved from a stroke in the middle of the night, thanks to the intervention of the family dog and his protective behavior.
A border necklace that had flair
That night, Amanda and Daines Tanne are woken up at 5 a.m. by Axel, their border collie who starts barking at his owners. If the parents do not react first, Daines, the husband ends up getting up to take the dog out for what he thinks is a pressing need. But Axel doesn’t come out, he heads straight towards the door of another room, that of Gabriel Silva, the son, and never leaves. Intrigued, Daines opens the door and discovers the teenager suffering from discomfort, unable to move the right side of his body or speak. Gabriel suffers a stroke.
Doctors catch the accident in time
Rushed to hospital, the 17-year-old high school student then underwent a cerebral angiogram. The case is clear: the teenager suffers from an arterial dissection, a tear in the wall of an artery that causes an ischemic stroke (the obstruction of a blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain). Thanks to his dog, Gabriel receives anticoagulants in time to restore blood flow to his brain as quickly as possible. And it is also thanks to Axel that he can testify to this today.
“Millions of neurons are lost every minute during an ischemic stroke, impacting speech and movement and can even lead to death” his doctors said. Without Axel’s 6th sense and barking, Gabriel could have suffered serious after-effects, or even not wake up. A man-animal bond strengthened by this action, which does not weaken today: the two companions have not left each other since the incident.
An early morning wake-up call from a dog turned into a heroic act when a family followed Axel, an adopted border collie, to find 17-year-old son Gabriel having a stroke. https://t.co/FZPMxCtSeh
— ABC News (@ABC) October 27, 2023
Signs of a stroke
The story is also an opportunity to recall what can cause a stroke and what should prompt you to contact help, whether you are affected or a witness.
A stroke generally results in:
- A deformity of the mouth;
- Weakness on one side of the body (arm or leg);
- Speech problems;
Accompanied by:
- Balance disorders;
- Headaches;
- From a loss of vision.
In this case, immediately contact 15