It 's not your usual selfie . `` The sensation is happening again , '' Stacey Yepes tells the camera . `` It 's all tingling on left side . '' `` I do n't know why this is happening to me . '' The Toronto-area woman was having her third stroke in three days . And this time , she refused to suffer in private . Yepes recorded a selfie video of her symptoms after pulling over while driving . The next day , the video would help doctors at Toronto Western Hospital correctly diagnose her with transient ischemic attacks , or `` mini-strokes , '' due to plaque buildup in her arteries . Now , according to Yepes , she is on cholesterol-lowering medication and blood thinners , and has n't had any more strokes . The video may have saved her life . No two strokes are alike : My story . Two days before the recording , doctors at a local emergency room in Toronto dismissed her face numbness and slurred speech as stress-related . They told her stroke tests had come back negative and counseled the 49-year-old legal secretary on breathing techniques . Those were ineffective , and Yepes suffered two additional mini-strokes in consecutive days -- the first leaving the hospital parking lot on April 1 . She knew something had to be done . `` I think it was just to show somebody , because I knew it was not stress-related , '' she said in an interview with the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. `` And I thought if I could show somebody what was happening , they would have a better understanding . '' That was exactly what happened . Yepes filmed the third `` mini-stroke '' the next day en route to work . After arriving , she showed the video to co-workers , who immediately suggested she go to a different hospital . Still , Dr. Markku Kaste with the World Stroke Organization said he believes Yepes was lucky . His advice : `` Do n't waste time on a video , just call 911 . '' He said , `` It 's the same thing for everyone . If you 're having a stroke , think you 're having a stroke or see someone having one -- just call 911 . '' Kaste and his organization are working on an upcoming campaign targeting women and their likelihood for strokes . According to the National Stroke Organization , 55,000 women have strokes each year . As in Yepes ' case , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said signs of stroke generally include sudden numbness , confusion and difficulty walking . The American Stroke Association uses the acronym F.A.S.T -- meaning face dropping , arm weakness and speech difficulty are all signs that it 's time to call 911 . Usually , paramedics , emergency responders and doctors correctly identify the situation and will get individuals the help they need . `` It 's hard to say why there was an incorrect diagnosis ( initially ) , but things like that can happen , '' Kaste said . `` Still , the quicker you are to the hospital , the higher the likelihood of a good outcome . '' Related : Recovering from a stroke . What happens during a stroke .
Boston - area woman survived stroke with a YouTube video . Video helped her receive treatment after she was initially diagnosed . Doctor 's advice : ` ` Do n't waste time on a story , just call . ''