Page 3 - Stroke Care and Research | University of Rochester

ADVANCED TREATMENT
THROUGH INNOVATION

Judith and Normand Poisson In the state-of-the-art stroke suite
with Dr. Babak S. Jahromi in Strong Memorial Hospital, Babak
S. Jahromi, M.D., Ph.D., FRCSC, and
his team’s work enables the URMC
to provide patients with the most
advanced interventions for stroke
that rival academic institutions across
the nation.

When Minutes Matter When Dr. Jahromi joined the URMC
and Expertise is Everything stroke team in 2008, he brought
extensive experience and innovation
Normand Poisson got up from watching TV in neurosurgical medicine. With
with his wife, Judith, to go to the kitchen for a members of URMC’s stroke team,
snack. When Norm did not return after Dr. Jahromi has incorporated
several minutes, Judy went to find him. Still technologies that have given the
in the kitchen, Norm told Judy the room was URMC at least 8 hours to stop the
spinning and he had an intense headache in devastating effects of stroke. His
his forehead. It was all Judy needed to know pioneering spirit was recently
something was very wrong. She was right. featured on the Discovery Channel
Norm was having a stroke. for successfully treating a vascular
anomaly in the heart of a patient in
At Strong Memorial Hospital, Norm received immediate care from members collaboration with a cardiologist.
of the stroke team. According to Norm, Judy’s tough love and “won’t quit”
attitude made all the difference in his courageous rehabilitation; however, the Dr. Jahromi’s ability pushes the
Poissons know it would not have been possible were it not for the outstanding boundaries of the URMC stroke
response time and skill of the URMC staff and their doctor, Babak S. Jahromi, program’s services well beyond
M.D., Ph.D. FRCSC. Monroe County, and sets an example
of excellence for the region’s entire
medical community.

Since his life-saving surgery, Norm has regained the ability to swallow, walk, and the full functionality of his left
hand enabling him to once again play piano and drive a car. Today, Judy calls Norm her “Miracle Man.”

The Poissons’ experience with Dr. Jahromi and the University of Rochester Medical Center bolstered a thought
they had when they moved here in 1972: the Rochester community is lucky to have the Medical Center and its
world-class faculty. Through their advocacy and dedication, the Poissons are an important voice in the fight
against stroke.