Back in the Pulpit

By David Robinson

The groundwork for the Rev. William Robinson’s miraculous recovery was laid just before his stroke.
The groundwork for the Rev. William Robinson’s
miraculous recovery was laid just before his stroke.

“I was sad, and I was asking God to just have mercy on me,” said Robinson, 50, who speaks to congregations all over the United States.

He discovered later that the groundwork for his miraculous recovery was laid just in time. On that Aug. 9, 2010, Robinson felt an explosion of pain in the back of his head and fell as he was concluding a sermon in West Memphis.

He was rushed to nearby Crittenden Regional Hospital, which only recently had joined the AR SAVES  network, enabling a stroke neurologist at a distant location to evaluate Robinson via telemedicine. The pastor of the First Baptist Church in North Little Rock was the hospital’s first AR SAVES patient.

After Robinson arrived, the hospital connected via two-way video to Vladimir Karpitskiy, M.D., Ph.D., a stroke neurologist in Hot Springs and adjunct faculty in the UAMS College of Medicine. On Karpitskiy’s recommendation, Robinson received the powerful blood-thinning drug t-PA. It was administered less than three hours after his stroke, giving it a good chance to penetrate the clot and restore blood flow to the affected area. The drug is known to benefit patients if given within 4.5 hours of stroke symptoms.

Two hours later Robinson was taken by helicopter to UAMS where he was seen by Salah Keyrouz, M.D., a stroke neurologist and the AR SAVES medical director.

Although he initially feared he would never walk again, Robinson’s spirits were lifted by prayer vigils and visits from Gov. Mike Beebe and U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln.

In addition to rigorous physical therapy, Robinson improved his diet, began a regular exercise program and lost 20 pounds. Eight months after the stroke, he was able to jump rope.

“I want people to know there is life after stroke,” he said. “Every chance I get, I tell them about knowing the warning signs of stroke and the miracle of t-PA. Without it, I would probably still be in a wheelchair.”