SHE CALLED HER MOM, BUT WAS UNABLE TO SPEAK 

Meet Aussa and Robyn Penniall 

EVERYTHING WAS NEW to the Penniall family when they decided to move to Muskoka from Great Britain. Aussa and her husband wanted a new and better life for their kids, and they felt they’d landed in the right place. At the time, they couldn’t have known how right they were. 

“It was a morning like any other and I was on reading week from Georgian College” says Robyn, then 23 years old. “I got up feeling dizzy and it felt like I was moving in slow motion. I dialed my Mom, but couldn’t speak — the words wouldn’t come out. My mom realized something was wrong and dialed 911, an operator called me on my cell, kept me calm and said paramedics were on the way.” 

The paramedics and Robyn’s parents showed up at the same time at their home in Bracebridge. Aussa remembers watching her daughter while they tried to understand what was happening to her.

“At first, the paramedics were baffled by the symptoms. Robyn is young and healthy, so this was right out of the blue,” remembers Aussa.  

When the paramedics realized Robyn was in a precarious situation and that it might be a stroke, they decided to go straight to Huntsville Hospital as they have a stroke unit, a 25 minute drive from Bracebridge. They got to the emergency department quickly and the team was waiting there for them. 

“One of the doctors said ‘we’re going to take care of you’, as I arrived, and they took me immediately for a CT scan,” says Robyn. “The team was amazing and kept everyone calm. I was scared, my family was scared. The CT scan showed an anomaly, so they made the decision to administer a clot buster drug and then arranged for transportation by helicopter to St Michael’s in Toronto. At this point my vision was being affected and my speech was coming and going.” 

Robyn’s story highlights the need for skilled, compassionate care here close to home or cottage for everyone. This family, the first generation in Canada, certainly picked the right place to be. 

“The care I received from the paramedics and the ER team in Huntsville Hospital saved my life, there is no doubt about that,” says Robyn. “People don’t realize how amazing the healthcare system and hospitals we have here are. When I needed them they were there waiting and ready! Thank you (again and again) to Dr Simpson and the entire emergency team, paramedics and everyone who helped me be here today.”