Stroke victim thanks care teams who saved his life when seconds counted

Chuck File knew something was horribly wrong, as he walked into his gym to workout in October of 2023.

“It hit me kind of like a ton of bricks,” said File. “My face had drooped, the eye and the mouth. And [I had] slurred speech with [my] tongue.”

People around him suspected File was having a stroke and called 911. When Seminole Co. firefighter/paramedic, Manuel Coello, arrived and began treating File, he knew the man needed to get to a hospital quickly.

“I felt the best facility was [the] AdventHealth Orlando [emergency department],” said Coello. “If anything were to [get] worse, they could definitely handle it.”

Strokes kill someone in the U.S. every three minutes and 14 seconds, or about the same amount of time it takes you to listen to the average hit song. That is why AdventHealth’s network of Central Florida stroke centers play such a vital role in saving lives.

“We have everything literally at our fingertips. We can care for that patient immediately and we can get them the intervention needed,” said AdventHealth emergency department nurse, Joanna Castillo.

Less than a month later, File said thank you when he reunited with his AdventHealth care team and the firefighter/paramedics whose quick actions saved his life.

“To stand here [at the fire station], fully functional, after having a massive ischemic stroke, is almost nothing short of miraculous,” said File.

AdventHealth Orlando and AdventHealth Celebration are each designated as Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSC) by the American Stroke Association and The Joint Commission. Programs receiving CSC designation are certified to offer the nation’s highest level of stroke care.

To learn more about AdventHealth’s network of Central Florida stroke centers and how to spot the signs and symptoms of a stroke, CLICK HERE to access the AdventHealth Neuroscience Institute.

To watch Chuck File’s emotional reunion with the teams who saved his life, click on the story at the top of this page.