TAMPA, Fla. — For most of his career, the road had always felt familiar.
As a local tractor-trailer driver, Joshua Fabrikant spent his days navigating interstates and city streets across the Tampa Bay area. But one ordinary drive suddenly took an unexpected turn.
After exiting the interstate near Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, he approached a red light. That's when something felt wrong.
"I started to get a dizzy feeling," he recalled. "As I was coming to a stop, I remember the truck had actually stopped, but I wasn't so sure that I did."
The sensation was unlike anything he had experienced before.
As his truck came to a halt, he gripped the steering wheel tightly and focused on taking deep breaths.
"It was a very weird feeling," he said. "Nothing I've ever felt before."
What he didn't know at the time was that he was having a stroke.
When he arrived at his destination, a customer immediately recognized that something wasn't right.
He noticed Fabrikant was unsteady on his feet and struggling to walk normally.
"He said, 'I'm calling 911.'"
That quick decision set into motion a chain of events that would ultimately save Fabrikant's life and preserve his independence.
As emergency responders rushed him through the doors of AdventHealth Tampa, a specialized stroke team was already mobilizing.
Every minute matters during a stroke, and rapid diagnosis and treatment can make the difference between recovery and lifelong disability.
Tests revealed a blood clot blocking blood flow to a small vessel in Fabrikant's brain.
For Richard Klucznik, MD, FACR, FSNIS, neuroradiologist and interventional radiologist at AdventHealth Tampa, the case presented a unique challenge.
"His stroke involved a smaller blood vessel, which can be more difficult to treat than blockages in larger vessels," Dr. Klucznik said. "But restoring blood flow quickly is critical because every minute counts when brain tissue is deprived of oxygen."
Using advanced minimally invasive stroke intervention techniques, Dr. Klucznik and the stroke team were able to completely remove the clot and restore blood flow to the affected area of Fabrikant's brain.
"In his case, we were able to completely remove the clot and reestablish blood flow," Dr. Klucznik said. "That's always our goal — to restore circulation as quickly and safely as possible to give patients the best chance for recovery."
Not every hospital is equipped to perform highly specialized stroke interventions, particularly in complex cases involving smaller vessels.
At AdventHealth Tampa, patients have access to an experienced team of stroke specialists available around the clock.
"Our team has decades of experience treating complex cerebrovascular conditions," Dr. Klucznik said. "We're able to offer advanced treatment options that may not be available everywhere, and that can make a meaningful difference for patients."
That commitment to providing evidence-based stroke care recently earned AdventHealth Tampa national recognition from the American Heart Association.
The hospital received the 2026 Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus award with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll, recognizing its dedication to delivering the highest standards of stroke care and improving patient outcomes.
For Fabrikant, the experience was about more than advanced medical treatment. It was also about the compassion he encountered throughout his recovery.
"I continued with the best attentive care," he said. "The nursing, the empathy, the caring, the attentiveness — making sure all my needs were fulfilled."
Now recovered, he still thinks back to how quickly an ordinary workday changed.
One moment, he was driving his usual route. The next, he was being rushed through the emergency department as a team of specialists worked to restore blood flow to his brain.
Looking back, he knows the outcome could have been very different.
"He just made me feel so good about how blessed I am," he said. "About how well I've recovered out of this situation."
Learn more about stroke care at AdventHealth Tampa.
