Like countless other mornings, Brad Nelson was enjoying a brisk sunrise ride with about a dozen of his avid cyclist friends. It was June 22, a day after the summer solstice, and that morning’s route took them from La Crosse, across the river to La Crescent then up the hill toward Nodine.
Brad recalls taking his turn at the head of the pace line heading up the hill, then drifting back to let a fellow rider take his turn at the lead. And that’s where things get fuzzy.
“As I was drifting to the back of the line, I started having sort of an out of body experience,” Brad remembers. “I thought, ‘This is weird.’ I started feeling weak and winded and couldn’t keep up. Then I couldn’t move.”
Brad drifted off the road and fell into the long, damp grass in the ditch. “A couple of my friends looked back and when they didn’t see me they circled back. I could see them ride by, but they couldn’t see me down in the ditch and I couldn’t call out.”
Fortunately, a fellow rider caught a glimpse of the reflection off a red light on the back of Brad’s bike caught on his second time by. He hopped off his bike and quickly realized that Brad was conscious but couldn’t communicate.
Brad’s friend discovered he had no cell service so took off up the hill until he could get a call out. Winona Area Ambulance Service (WAAS) was dispatched, and a first responder who lived in the area arrived within a few minutes.
Moments later, Brad was on his way to the Winona Health Emergency Department. Early communication from the ambulance en route indicated symptoms of a stroke. At Winona Health, a stroke alert was activated and a team (including an Emergency Department provider, Registered Nurse, Nursing Assistant Tech, CT Tech, Pharmacist and a Lab Tech) assembled outside the prepped CT Scanner, ready.
Upon Brad’s arrival the medical team immediately did a head CT and confirmed that he was experiencing an ischemic stroke, followed protocols for administering Tenecteplase (TNK), a clot-busting drug, and prepared him for immediate helicopter transport to Mayo in Rochester.
“By the time the helicopter arrived, I felt like I was starting to come around,” Brad said. “And when I was on my way in the helicopter, I realized what was happening and felt a little overwhelmed by it all.”
Brad spent two days in ICU at Mayo and another day in recovery. “They called me a miracle patient – I had no discernable residual effects – full speech and motion.” He was released with a heart monitor, and he now has an implanted device that uploads data to his phone.
“I’m grateful that I had two life-saving events that day,” says Brad. “The first life-saving event was a friend spotting my bike in the ditch and calling for help. The second life-saving event, getting to the Winona Health Emergency Department where they provided the right care.”
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