BLOUNT COUNTY, TENN. — A 17-year-old from Blount County, Tennessee, recognized stroke symptoms in her mother and arranged emergency care during a May trip to the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Ecuador. Emma Caughron's actions saved the life of her mother, Alysia Caughron, who had traveled with her to celebrate Emma's 17th birthday.

Alysia Caughron slipped, fell and hit her head in their hotel room. Emma Caughron noticed her mother's face drooping to one side and then took action to summon help.

Paramedics placed Alysia Caughron on a stretcher and wheeled her down several flights of stairs because the hotel did not have an elevator. The hospital was about a ten-minute walk away, was under renovation, and some scans Alysia Caughron needed were performed at a different location. The facility was small, with only a few beds in a single room.

Emma Caughron was directed to obtain medical supplies from local pharmacies for the hospital to use. "They send me to go to different pharmacies around the area to get stuff like saline solutions, IVs, paracetamol, because that's how their system works," she said.

The initial goal was to stabilize Alysia Caughron before transferring her to a larger hospital in Quito. Emma Caughron returned to the hotel room that night without her mother. Arranging travel to Quito was complicated because her mother risked another brain bleed if they took a commercial flight. A medical helicopter transported the two to Quito a few days later, where Alysia Caughron was treated at a hospital. During the ordeal, Emma Caughron received support from her father, Jim Caughron, a first responder in Blount County, as well as her mother's friend, a representative from the U.S. Embassy, representatives from their travel insurance company and friends she made along the way.

While waiting for her mother's release and permission to return to the United States, Emma Caughron explored the sights, food and scenery of Quito and learned fire-dancing techniques from a friend she made there. "This was the first time I really stepped out of the tourist realm of an area and I got to know what it's like to be there," she said. Alysia Caughron, who works in the medical field, is now able to walk and talk.

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S., and May is Stroke Awareness Month, according to the American Heart Association. Katie Hall, stroke coordinator at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, said calling 911 immediately is critical when symptoms such as sudden loss of balance, arm weakness or facial drooping appear. "The most important thing you can do is recognize stroke," Hall said. "We always say, time is brain. So minutes matter when identifying stroke. In America, a stroke occurs about every 40 seconds." Hall also noted that more women than men experience stroke. "More women than men, at about 55,000 more women a year than men, will suffer stroke," she said.