Cherokee Nation W.W. Hastings Hospital is now Primary Stroke Center Certified, a designation meaning the tribe has the health staff and resources dedicated to the prevention and treatment of strokes.
Both Terry Anna Wanahita, Hill’s doctor credit Monica for a large part of Hill’s recovery.
When the chief was readmitted to the hospital Dec. 27, doctors followed an aggressive regimen, based on daily, multiple conversations between Monica Hill and Terry, who kept Wanahita apprised, Terry said.
“The chief wasn’t always forthcoming with his symptoms. He tended to hold it in and not tell how he was really doing,” he said.
Hill’s bloodwork showed levels of D-dimer, a protein fragment that is an inflammatory marker of blood clots, which can lead to potentially fatal strokes, heart attacks, pulmonary embolisms and deep vein thrombosis.