Exclusive:
Deb Kelly would not have survived a stroke she suffered aged 53 if she hadn’t been groundbreaking treatment in Stoke which Keir Starmer said shows ‘the power of AI in action’
A mum whose life was saved after an incredible AI procedure when she suffered a stroke has called for the technology to be available in every UK hospital.
Deb Kelly says she is only alive because artificial intelligence software was able to swiftly pinpoint the location of a potentially-fatal blood clot. In a procedure that took less than three minutes, the clot was removed.
In a speech last week Keir Starmer referenced Deb’s treatment, stating: “That’s the power of AI in action.”
Prison officer Deb, 55, told The Mirror : “When a stroke happens you need to act fast. It’s phenomenal, and it (AI treatment) needs to be everywhere. I’m thankful for what we’ve got.”
Two years ago this month Deb collapsed in the bathroom at her home. Her son found her on the floor and immediately called an ambulance.
“My left hand side had gone and I was slurring my words,” said fit-and-healthy Deb, who is also a fitness instructor. She was rushed to the Royal Stoke University Hospital where medics carried out the groundbreaking mechanical thrombectomy procedure. This removed the blood clot in her brain that had caused the stroke.
Deb said: “I was taken into A&E and the next thing I know I woke up after it had been done. I was told I’d had a stroke and I should have passed away, it was that bad. I was in shock, I was 53 and still fit and healthy.”
But she said she feels a lot of “survivor’s guilt”. In January 2023 there were just 24 centres in England able to carry out the procedure – meaning that she would not have been so lucky in other parts of the country.
“AI is revolutionsing stroke care, it’s got to go national,” Deb said. “It’s mad how the world’s changed.”
She said she spoke to Mr Starmer before he delivered a speech about the Government’s plan to embrace AI on Monday. “He asked me how I was and how I was recovering,” said Deb.
Describing what happened to Deb, Mr Starmer said: “She was found by her son, rushed to hospital where the doctors used Artificial Intelligence to help pinpoint the exact location of the blood clot.
“They successfully removed it. Now, as you know, with strokes it is always a race against the clock. Too slow – and the patient may die.
“And every second of delay increases the risk of paralysis. But in Deb’s case, with AI, the whole procedure took less than three minutes.
“It saved her life. I spoke to her this morning. And she’s always been really clear about this.
“She said if that blood clot hadn’t been removed, she wouldn’t be here right now – I wouldn’t have spoken to her this morning. That’s the power of AI in action.”
