BILLINGS — A man from Harrison, Montana, is grateful for the prompt response he received from medical teams after experiencing a sudden stroke on April 1.
Steve Ore suffered the stroke around 6 a.m. and was undergoing surgery at St. Vincent’s Healthcare in Billings before noon after being flown in from Harrison.
Harrison is a small town situated between Butte and Bozeman with a population of 42.
Although the events of that day are somewhat blurry, Ore can still recall how it all began.
“It was a normal day, I was getting ready for work around 5:30 as usual,” Ore, 59, recounted. “The last thing I remember is getting something from the dryer. After that, it was just flashes, and my wife found me on the floor.”
Ore believes he blacked out due to the stroke and remained on the floor for a few minutes until his wife, Margaret Ore, discovered him post-incident.
“He kept insisting, ‘No, just let me lie here. Just let me lie here,'” Margaret recalled. “But his speech was slurred, and eventually, I decided, ‘That’s it. I’m calling for an ambulance.'”
The ambulance arrived promptly, a service upgrade recently made by Madison County, which the Ores appreciated. Previously, the ambulance service was entirely volunteer-based.
Subsequently, Ore was airlifted from his residence to St. James Hospital in Butte.
“It was like a relay race; it started with patient identification, personnel identification, and ER identification to swiftly move the patient,” Stroke Program Coordinator Penny Clifton from St. Vincent’s remarked.
In under six hours from the collapse, Ore was in surgery 200 miles away in Billings.
Today, Ore is back to his regular activities, only experiencing minor issues post-stroke, all thanks to the timely care he received.
Medical professionals are hopeful that Ore’s success will become the standard for rural Montana residents.
“I believe this man is a perfect example of how the system can function with proper communication and education,” Clifton stated. “We are shaping the process, and this success proves our efforts are effective.”
