While doctors are advising Kim Kardashian to temporarily lay off the selfies (link to come) after she suffered a painful wrist injury, one woman in Detroit is thanking a series of selfies she took for saving her life.
Juanita Branch was taking photographs of herself on the morning of August 13 when she noticed that something about her appearance just did not seem right. She tried to upload the photos on Facebook, but she told Fox 2 Detroit that "each one got worse."
Of course, most imperfections can be fixed with a little editing or by using a filter over the photo, but in Branch's case, she actually needed medical interference to help her.
The 63-year-old's face was drooping on one side and it showed in the selfies she took. Soon after, she started to feel her balance go, and that's when she knew she needed to immediately call for help.
When she got to the hospital, she was starting to slur her speech. The Michigan resident had already suffered a stroke in 2016, so all of these symptoms were familiar to her.
The doctor was able to administer a Tissue plasminogen activator (TPA), a clot buster that is usually given to a stroke patient before the three-hour mark.
Doctors were able to determine the drug was safe for Branch after verifying the timestamp on her selfies.
"If we give TPA beyond the three-hour mark it could be dangerous," explained Dr. Jason Muir. "It can cause bleeding in the brain and can be life-threatening.'"
Thankfully, Branch's condition is now stable and she is on the road to recovery. She will soon be allowed to return home, but not without some physical and speech therapy first.
In an interview with Macomb Daily, Muir admitted that it's a first time that a patient of his caught their symptoms by looking at a selfie.
"This is the first time I've ever had something like this happen," Muir said. "It's usually a family member or someone else who notices the symptoms."
The entire experience has forced her to look at people who love to take selfies in a new light.
"I'm going to stop making fun of people who take selfies," she told Fox 2. "Because that selfie literally did save my life."
Branch is also using her story to remind people to be in tune with their bodies and always keep an eye out for changes.
According to the American Heart Association, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds, and someone dies from it every three minutes. So it's crucial to know what you should be on the lookout for.
You should remember the acronym F.A.S.T., which stands for the following:
F: Face-drooping, ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
A: Arm weakness, ask the person to raise both arms. Does one drift downward?
S: Speech difficulty, ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is their speech slurred or strange?
T: Time to call 911, if you observe any of these symptoms call emergency services immediately
