Alejandra Rosales Murillo and her four sisters were sitting with their beloved parents one Sunday morning at church when one of the daughters noticed their dad's face was drooping.
She whispered her observation to their mother, Maria Rosales Murillo, who leaned toward her husband, Jose Rosales Campos, and asked if something was wrong with him.
Campos said that it was probably Bell's palsy again. He had a short battle a year earlier with the condition, which can cause temporary facial weakness.
Campos suffers two strokes
As the information was whispered to each family member, the commotion caught the attention of a guest preacher, who stopped his sermon to ask them if everything was OK. Campos nodded yes, but the preacher decided to cut the service short, leading the congregation in a prayer for Jose instead.
The preacher urged the family to take Campos to the hospital, but he refused. The patriarch insisted they continue their plans for the day, which included celebrating the 19th birthday of one of his daughters with a meal.
Although the restaurant they were going to was a short drive away, the family, who lived in Calexico, California, had to cross the border to Mexicali, Mexico.
By the time the family reached Mexicali, Campos' speech was slurred, and he was not responsive, according to Heart.org. Maria drove to the local hospital, but the facility turned them away because Campos' medical insurance only covered him in the United States.
Maria had to drive back to California, a quick trip usually. That was not the case on that day, December 23, 2012, as the border crossing was clogged with holiday travelers.
The family finally arrived at a hospital in nearby Brawley, California, about four hours after the church service. Doctors determined that Campos, who was 49 then, suffered two strokes. He could not speak, and the strokes paralyzed his right side.
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Ale now helps patients after stroke experience with her dad
Alejandra stayed at the hospital to help her dad. She was a high school senior at the time and knew she needed to serve as a translator for her non-English-speaking parents. While at the hospital, Ale also learned more about strokes and realized her dad had been at high risk.
Her dad had obesity. He favored pizza and pork chops and drank a lot of beer. Campos also was taking medication for high blood pressure and diabetes. She said that her dad would go to the doctor once a year and was always told that he needed to take better care of himself.
Ale had considered dropping out of high school to earn money for her family, but her parents insisted that she graduate. She did finish high school, but she also worked, taking a job in the fields of the Imperial Valley to harvest vegetables.
However, Ale was unsatisfied with her job, as she wanted a career. She was able to get a degree as a medical/clinical assistant by taking out student loans. She then worked as an intake clerk at the Brawley hospital that treated her dad from 2017 to 2021. Ale then started a job last year as a case manager. Her younger sister, Adriana Rosales, currently works as a nurse at a hospital in Tempe, Arizona.
