Editor, Gazette-Journal:

On behalf of our family, we want to thank all that were involved with the care of my husband, Richard Lee Stewart, on Tuesday, Jan. 16. My husband and I were going about our usual activities when around 6 p.m. he suffered a sudden stroke. Scary is an understatement of how my family and I felt.

I immediately called 911 and the Mathews Volunteer Rescue Squad responded rapidly and was on scene within 15 minutes of my husband having stroke symptoms. The Mathews Volunteer Rescue Squad quickly identified that my husband needed rapid intervention and notified the Virginia State Police helicopter, MedFlight. MedFlight was on scene at Walter Reed Hospital to pick up my husband within minutes of his arrival there.

Because of the rapid response and care that my husband received, he was transferred directly from the Mathews ambulance to the MedFlight helicopter, and my precious husband was directly flown to VCU Medical Center to receive state-of-the-art care. At VCU, my...