This year at the World Stroke Conference in Abu Dhabi, I witnessed perhaps the most vivid example yet of the power of the Angels community. I ran into Dr Chrissi Tunkl, a German neurologist who, in her free time, supports the Nepalese stroke community to help set up and improve stroke care in their country. She was looking for advice and support for expanding her educational efforts there.
I had just spoken with Dr Claudio Jiménez from Colombia who, with his government’s support, has enrolled nearly 19,000 nurses and thousands of doctors and paramedics in training on the Angels website. I suggested Chrissi should speak to him to see if any of their strategies could work for her project in Nepal. I introduced Chrissi to Claudio and his compatriot Dr Angel Corredor at the Angels exhibition booth and asked her to explain her challenge.
What happened next was the magic of the Angels community. After Chrissi explained the situation, Claudio described how he mentored new treating hospitals in similar circumstances, allowing them to create their own communities within the hospital.
He showed her examples of how he set up various “hospital communities” in Colombia and mentored them from a distance. Inspired by this idea, Chrissi called the Nepalese delegates over to meet Claudio and to learn how to apply these strategies in Nepal.
Soon, an impromptu workshop formed around a small table next to the Angels booth, with seven Nepalese doctors, Claudio and Angel from Colombia, and Chrissi from Germany all passionately discussing how to support the Nepalese community in improving stroke care. No judgment, no politics—just a community of like-minded people with one goal: to help each other provide the best outcomes for their patients.
It was a reminder why the idea behind the Angels Regions strategy is so profoundly impactful: when we unite around a common goal, stroke care transcends individual efforts and becomes a collective mission. Together, we transform challenges into shared victories, creating a ripple effect of positive change and hope.
In this edition of The Angels Journey, you will encounter many examples of how being part of the Angels community makes a difference, including stories about how Almería’s community became the first Angels Region in Europe, how the Arrow Project that originated in Spain is now saving lives in Latvia, and how a group of Lithuanian doctors are helping the Kazakhstan stroke community set up a stroke simulation center.
You will see the power of community at work in places as diverse as India, Ukraine, Argentina and Ecuador, in stories that acknowledge the contributions of, among others, doctors, paramedics, local authorities and community leaders.
We end this final Angels Journey of 2024 with amazing news from a place whose good news stories we don’t hear often enough: we have the first-ever Angels awards in Iraq. And while in each of these hospitals there is a brave and determined leader, they’d be the first to agree that their success is a story of community in action. What an incredible way to end the year.
We wish you all a wonderful festive season. Thank you for making this community what it is, and on behalf of all the patients who benefited from your commitment to excellence – thank you!
