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Selfie helps doctors save metro Detroit woman's life

Posted at 7:01 AM, Sep 06, 2018
and last updated 2018-09-06 07:55:27-04

A well-timed selfie turned out to be a life-saver for a woman from Fraser.

Juanita Branch, 63, said she decided to update her Facebook profile last month and started snapping photos of herself. That's when she noticed one side of her face was drooping.

"[I thought] 'What the heck is going on?' I went back into the bathroom, I said, 'I think I'm having a stroke,'" she said.

The time stamp on those selfies proved to be critical for Branch. Doctors at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital knew she was safely within the three to four-hour window for being treated with the clot-busting drug TPA.

"I've never had this happen where someone came in with a selfie that was time-stamped and knew exactly when the stroke started," said Dr. Jason Muir from Henry Ford Macomb.

Thankfully, Branch is doing well now and is expected to be released from the hospital Thursday.