'15 minutes saved my life.' How changes in stroke care are transforming lives

By Evan Dawson,

Published May 15, 2026 at 4:05 PM EDT

Four men wearing headphones sit at a table in a radio talk studio: a bald man front left is wearing a plaid button-down shirt, beige pants and brown shoes; a man front right has very short dark hair and is wearing glasses, a navy puffy vest over a white hooded sweater, blue jeans and sneakers; a man back left has short blonde hair and is wearing a white button-down shirt and red tie; a man back right has short grey hair and is wearing a white button-down shirt. — (foreground) Josh Graves, (background) Adam Kelly and Tarun Bhalla with host Evan Dawson on "Connections with Evan Dawson" on Friday, May 15, 2026

Time is of the essence when it comes to treating a stroke. A local man learned that earlier this year when he had a stroke in his home.

Josh Graves says his life was saved thanks to the University of Rochester Medical Center's Mobile Stroke Unit. On Friday, URMC is lifting the curtain on a new mobile unit.

Leaders say it will help improve the region's rapid stroke response capabilities, leading to even better outcomes for patients.

We talk with clinicians about how stroke care is changing, and we hear from Graves, who shares his remarkable story.

In studio:

Adam Kelly, M.D., professor of neurology at the University of Rochester Medicine Comprehensive Stroke Center, associate chair for teleneurology and regional programs, and director of the University of Rochester Medicine Telestroke Program
Tarun Bhalla, M.D., Ph.D., professor of neurosurgery at the University of Rochester Medicine Comprehensive Stroke Center
Josh Graves, stroke survivor