Making a life-changing decision
At the age of 35, amid a demanding family and professional life, Dr. Estelle Seyman suffered a stroke. After her recovery, she made the life-changing decision to specialize in the very condition she had endured. Today, she shares her journey—from stroke patient to director of the Stroke Department at Rambam Health Care Campus (Rambam).
Dr. Seyman began her medical career at the Department of Neurology at Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center (Ichilov) under the guidance of the late Professor Nir Giladi z”l, whom she describes as her friend, mentor, and role model.
Three months after the birth of their youngest of four children, the young mother, sleep-deprived and stressed, relocated with her family to Canada to pursue a fellowship in multiple sclerosis at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.
An early warning sign
During the flight, Seyman was struck by a severe headache—an early warning sign she dismissed as postpartum exhaustion. Over the next two days, the symptoms escalated—she had trouble swallowing and her gait changed. On the third day, at her children’s new kindergarten, she suddenly lost the ability to speak and sensation on one side of her body. “It was a clear sign I had suffered a stroke,” she recalls.
Remarkably, while fighting for her life, Seyman—an experienced neurologist—diagnosed herself and calmly guided a young, inexperienced intern through the critical next steps. Imaging later confirmed a tear in one of her neck arteries and a blood clot at the brainstem. Her condition worsened, and she was transferred to the neurological intensive care unit. After several days in the hospital and a six-month recovery, Seyman returned to complete her fellowship, but felt that she wasn’t in the “right professional place.”
Rambam’s Department of Neurology established a dedicated department for stroke treatment
Back in Israel, she rejoined Ichilov, but continued feeling the same way. Professor Giladi suggested a new direction—stroke medicine. Seyman accepted the challenge, understanding it would not be easy, but she was confident in her path, eventually becoming director of the hospital’s Cerebrovascular Disease (Stroke) Department.
In June 2023, Rambam’s Department of Neurology established a dedicated department for stroke treatment, and Seyman was appointed its director. In a short time, the stroke unit at Neurology B has grown significantly and is now the largest and most advanced stroke unit in Northern Israel.
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the Western world and the leading cause of disability. In Israel, approximately 15,000 people are diagnosed with stroke each year—5% of them are under the age of 50.
Dr. Seyman’s personal journey has profoundly shaped her vision for stroke care, giving her a deep, intuitive understanding of her patients’ needs—insight that only someone who has “been there” can truly grasp. “When a stroke patient is admitted to Rambam’s Stroke Unit, I can instinctively recognize their needs,” she says. “Beyond receiving rapid and high-quality treatment, they also receive a level of understanding and empathy that only someone who has lived through the same ordeal can offer.”
