Carleton’s Story: Surviving Stroke

Sometimes, you just have an angel on your shoulder. That’s how 72-year-old Carleton Golder of Grand Rapids, MI, describes how everything fell into place for him on March 10, 2022, when he experienced an emergent large vessel occlusion (ELVO), a severe stroke.

The healthy father and grandfather—who hadn’t missed a physical in at least 25 years and had never been hospitalized for anything other than sports injuries—had no indication that a stroke was in store for him when he went to work that day.

“I was asked to do a last-minute interview for my company at the end of the day,” Golder says. “Normally I’d be off of work by that time, but I agreed to do it. We need to keep our workforce strong. I had a small headache but I figured I could get through the conversation.”

During the interview, which began just a few minutes after 5 p.m., the applicant noticed that Golder was rubbing his temples, and at one point “got lost” in the discussion. He asked if Golder was OK.

“I said, ‘Yeah, I think so. Why do you ask?’”

“Well, I lost you there for a minute, Carleton,” the young man replied.

It turns out the applicant had worked in a medical emergency environment for several years. He didn’t hesitate to call 911. Within 8 minutes, EMS were on the scene.

Golder’s time in the ambulance and even in the ER are a bit fuzzy. “I remember hearing a lot of what was going on, but I couldn’t see or speak. I vaguely remember the sirens,” he says. But a few things stick out.

“I remember them telling me I had a blood clot in the right side of my brain, but that I had got there in good time. And that they were going to put a catheter in my groin to remove it. They said it would take about 40 minutes,” he said.

Golder received the clot-busting drug tPA, underwent a thrombectomy to remove the clot in his brain, and had a stent placed for his occluded carotid artery.

“After the procedure, I remember opening my eyes and looking at the clock,” he recalls. “It was 6:40 p.m. That means that it took about an hour and a half for help to get to me, me to get to the hospital, and the doctors to remove the clot. That’s quite amazing.”

When Carleton woke up in the ICU, he wasn’t sure if he was dreaming. His only experiences with hospitals had been to visit others, not as the patient himself. Among his many visitors was the job applicant who likely saved his life.

Dr. Jenny Tsai was in the hospital that evening that Golder came in.

“I remember how affected he was on arrival,” Dr. Tsai says. “I saw him back in the stroke clinic in early April for follow-up; I barely recognized him. We spoke about the idea of ‘thriving’ after a stroke, and that many individuals do not get this perfect timeline for such a great recovery.”

The morning after his thrombectomy, Golder was free of symptoms and cleared to return home. He took it easy for 2 weeks but then returned to work, and his family.

“I’m just blessed,” Golder says. “I know not everyone’s story ends up like mine. What if I was driving? Or home by myself? And couldn’t get up or couldn’t get to the phone?”

Utilization of EMS resources in acute stroke is 10% to 20% lower in the African American community compared to the overall average for stroke patients. But Golder has a message to other African Americans like him who may put off seeking help when the signs of stroke appear.

“I would tell them, based on what happened to me, it’s critical you go and find out what’s happening to you as soon as possible,” he advises. “I’ve done everything I can do to take care of myself, but I didn’t get any warning. I didn’t have any symptoms leading up to this. Which is still a scary thought.”