“I hit a main vein,” Green said. “It caused me to need surgery, I couldn’t do anything.”

An ischemic stroke happens when a blood vessel in the brain becomes blocked, cutting off the blood supply. It accounts for about 87 percent of cases, making it the most common stroke type.

“The only time I was frightened was when those German bombs were flying over,” he recalled. “You never knew where they were going to fall.”

One year after becoming the first patient in South Florida to receive an implant of a Vivistim nerve stimulation device, 51-year-old Arlet Lara continues to make great progress.

Brandon Smith was barbecuing, Tiffany Smith was back-to-school shopping on her phone, and the kids, 8-year-old Dylan and 13-year-old Olivia, were playing in the pool.

By the time Schuyler Arakawa, 32, graduated from Yale University, she had already packed more adventure into her young life than most people experience in decades.

He was struck by a car while driving, which sent his car crashing into a pole. Xavier was rushed to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial, where he underwent an emergency brain surgery and extensive medical treatment.

“It was just a regular day,” Vargas recalled. “I went to the bathroom, and suddenly, I felt a very sharp pain in my head. It lasted for about 20 seconds; the longest 20 seconds of my life.” The next thing he remembers is waking up in a hospital, blind and unable to move.

Miami Transplant Institute (MTI), a joint program between Jackson Health System and UHealth – University of Miami Health System, has reached a major milestone: its 500th lung transplant.