Diana Beserra
It was January 2017, Diana Beserra had a good day — she and her husband had gone to dinner and retired for the evening. “I consider myself relatively healthy — just a bit of hypertension,” says Beserra. “I got up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and suddenly found myself on the floor — my left leg was flaccid and I couldn’t talk.” The last thing Beserra remembers is her husband of nearly 60 years saying, “Honey I think you’re having a stroke.” When she arrived at Los Robles, the team was quick to identify what was going on.
The very young at heart Beserra, who was 77 at the time, had always been proactive about her health. She walked regularly, watched her diet and loved traveling. A Thousand Oaks resident since 1975, Beserra was not only familiar with Los Robles, but had worked in the lab before her retirement. After a CT scan determined she was having a stroke, Dr. Asif Taqi, performed the surgery that would save her life. “A piece of plaque had broken off my carotid artery and caused a clot in my brain,” says Beserra. “They had to go in three times to get that miniscule piece of plaque out.”
“Bessera had a very hard piece of plaque stuck and blocking her brain blood vessels. With our expert team, we were able to get to it in a few minutes and retrieve the plaque successfully. She was back to normal the next day,” says Dr. Taqi.
After 7 days in the hospital Beserra was home; 2 weeks after her stroke she was walking on the treadmill. “Dr. Taqi and Los Robles saved my life,” says the petite and energetic stroke survivor. Three years later, Beserra is doing great. She walks daily — outside and on the treadmill — travels, and continues to watch what she eats. “I have lots of energy and a great appetite. My advice to anyone who suspects they are having a stroke is to get to the hospital fast,” she says.
“I still can’t believe I had a stroke,” says Beserra. “I’m grateful that I live near the hospital, grateful for my amazing care-giving team and grateful for every single day since my stroke.”