A Custom Ambulance Helped Save One Man's Future

Matthew Craig thought he was having an ordinary workday at home when a mild headache sent him to the kitchen for some medicine. Moments later, he tried to respond to his 13-year-old daughter but couldn't get the words out.

What happened next set in motion a chain of events that would help save his brain — and his future.

A stroke strikes without warning

Craig, a 48-year-old computer-aided design professional, was standing in his Jacksonville kitchen in late March 2026. His daughter asked him a question, and his speech suddenly became garbled, while he also lost movement on the left side of his body.

"I thought I was speaking normally, but I couldn't tell," Craig said. "The scariest thing in my life was my wife asking me to move my left side, and I couldn't move it. I could feel her touching my leg, but I couldn't get my brain to make it move."

His wife, Shelli, a longtime nurse with intensive care experience, immediately recognized the warning signs of a stroke and instructed their daughter, Maci, to call 911.

Because Craig was suspected of having a stroke, both the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department and the UF Health Jacksonville Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit were dispatched.

Bringing stroke treatment to the patient

Unlike a traditional ambulance, the MSTU is equipped with a portable CT scanner, stroke medications and telemedicine technology that allows a vascular neurologist to evaluate patients before they arrive at the hospital.

Marissa Scrofano, RN, an emergency medicine nurse at UF Health Jacksonville who also serves on the MSTU, was part of the team that responded to Craig's home. Working alongside a CT technologist and two JFRD critical care paramedics, each team member had a specific role as they prepared Craig for treatment.

"Everything is fast paced, but it's controlled," Scrofano said. "We all work closely together. It can't be done without every member of the team."

Before the ambulance ever left Craig's driveway, the team had already performed a CT scan of his brain to determine whether he was experiencing a bleeding stroke, or one caused by a blood clot.

"The number one priority is getting that CT scan," Scrofano said. "We were able to scan him within five minutes of getting him on the truck. That's lifesaving."

Telemedicine brings a stroke specialist to the patient

Benjamin Alwood, MD, a UF Health Jacksonville vascular neurologist, and medical director of the Jacksonville telestroke network and MSTU, evaluated Craig remotely using telemedicine.

"We quickly assessed him and saw classic signs of a large vessel occlusion, meaning a major artery in the brain was blocked by a blood clot," Alwood said. "After the MSTU team performed a CT scan and confirmed there was no bleeding, they gave him the clot-busting medication tenecteplase, or TNK, and coordinated the next step of his care before he even reached the hospital."

The speed of treatment made all the difference in Craig’s quality of life.

Craig received the clot-busting medication just 29 minutes after his symptoms began, well within what stroke experts call the "golden hour" — the first 60 minutes after stroke symptoms start, when treatment is most effective.

"This was an ideal case for the Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit," Alwood said. "Patients treated within the golden hour have a much greater chance of returning to normal."

For Shelli Craig, the experience reinforced the value of having the specialized ambulance available in Northeast Florida.

"The mobile stroke unit is by far the best thing that's come to this city in a very long time," she said. "My husband received TNK within 30 minutes and was in the neurointerventional suite within an hour. Those things would not have happened without the Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit."

Removing the clot before permanent damage

Before Craig arrived at UF Health Jacksonville, the neuroendovascular team was already preparing for an emergency mechanical thrombectomy — a minimally invasive procedure that removes a blood clot from a blocked artery in the brain.

Dania Qaryouti, MD, a UF Health Jacksonville vascular neurologist and neuroendovascular surgeon, received updates from the MSTU while Craig was still on the way to the hospital.

"Given the severity of his neurological symptoms, we knew we needed to act as quickly as possible," Qaryouti said. "The communication from the MSTU allowed us to have the entire team ready before he arrived."

Because Craig had already been evaluated by the stroke team through telemedicine and had undergone imaging and other necessary steps while aboard the MSTU, he was able to go directly to the neuroendovascular suite when he arrived at UF Health Jacksonville, without additional hospital triage. Within minutes of entering the hospital, the team was beginning his thrombectomy.

Using X-ray guidance, Qaryouti inserted a catheter through an artery in Craig's groin and carefully guided it to the blocked artery in his brain. Because the clot was unusually large, it took several attempts to completely remove it.

"It was a significant blockage," Qaryouti said. "We were able to remove the entire clot and fully restore blood flow before permanent brain damage occurred."

Within hours of the procedure, Craig began moving his left side again.

"The quick action by the stroke team and the teamwork throughout the hospital made all of this possible," Qaryouti said. "Otherwise, a stroke of this size and location could have resulted in permanent disability or even death."

Looking ahead with gratitude

Craig spent several days at UF Health Jacksonville before continuing rehabilitation at a long-term facility. Although his arm recovered quickly, weakness in his left leg required weeks of physical therapy to rebuild his balance and strength.

Just a few months later, he finished physical therapy and is back to many of the activities he enjoys.

"I'm so thankful," Craig said. "There's no doubt in my mind the UF Health team saved my quality of life. They were an absolute godsend."

Alwood said Craig's recovery demonstrates why recognizing stroke symptoms and calling 911 immediately is so important.

"Stroke is a time-sensitive emergency," Alwood said. "The faster someone receives treatment, the better their chances of recovery."

Craig now hopes sharing his story will encourage others to act quickly if they notice stroke symptoms in themselves or someone they love.

Visit UFHealthJax.org/mstu for more information on stroke symptoms and the MSTU.