It was a morning like most others. Don Onken, then 78, was on the golf course, while his wife, Diane, was poring over paperwork in her office, where she worked as a Realtor.

Then the phone rang. Don seems to be “unwell,” his golf buddies told Diane. They’d sat him down, but he was mumbling a bit.

“I just knew it was a stroke,” said Diane.

An ambulance took him to UC San Francisco, which is designated as a Comprehensive Stroke Center.

This wasn’t the only emergency to take place in their 50-plus year marriage. 

Decades ago, they lost a 10-year-old son to leukemia and a newborn daughter died suddenly. “You never get over that,” Diane said. But the latter years had been kind. Their surviving child had flourished and had a family of his own. The couple enjoyed trips to Europe and socializing with friends.

 
Don Onken walks down a treelined street with his wife and dog
Don Onken walks down a treelined street with his wife and dog

“Don had a full life. I was scared that the stroke meant he would have mobility issues,” she said.

Don Onken plays with his dog in his living room
Don Onken plays with his dog in his living room

As the ambulance made its way to the UCSF Helen Diller Medical Center at Parnassus Heights, Anthony Kim was getting ready for Don. “Time is brain,” is a saying touted by stroke experts to relay the importance of prompt treatment.

A doctor points to a clot in a CT scan of the patient's brain
A doctor points to a clot in a CT scan of the patient's brain

Within 28 minutes, Don underwent an initial evaluation and CT scan and received an IV drug to help dissolve the clot.

Kim determined that Don’s stroke would require a stroke thrombectomy – surgically removing the clot, via a catheter threaded from the leg to the affected blood vessel.

Don Onken speaks with his radiologist Steven Hetts
Don Onken speaks with his radiologist Steven Hetts

Within minutes, neuro-interventional radiologist Steven Hetts successfully restored blood flow to the cerebral artery.

Meanwhile, Diane waited with Don’s golfing buddies, Dennis and Richie, worrying about possible disabilities.

Don Onken shakes hands with Steven Hetts
Don Onken shakes hands with Steven Hetts

Her concern would not be realized. Some 36 hours after buckling on the golf course, Don was discharged from UCSF. It would be a few weeks before he would return to the golf course, long enough for him to reflect on his incredible fortune.

Don Onken walks between two friends on the golf course while laughing
Don Onken walks between two friends on the golf course while laughing

“There are two things that saved my life,” he said. “Fast-acting friends, and Dr. Kim and Dr. Hetts. Without their immediate care and expertise, there would be no happy ending.”

exterior of the UCSF Medical Center at Parnassus Heights at night

UCSF Health is ranked #2 nationwide by US News & World Report for neurology and neurosurgery.

If you’ve suffered a stroke, or are at risk of stroke, talk to the experts at the UCSF Stroke Clinic about our advanced treatment options.

Learn more about the UCSF Health Stroke Center

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