EAST LIVERPOOL, Ohio - Four minutes. That's all it takes for tissue in the brain to start dying after a stroke.

It's just one of the reasons friends and family members of Lauren Thomas say her volleyball coach's quick response saved her life when she had a stroke this summer.

Coach Sarah Lowe picks up on the little details in each of her players on the Beaver Local volleyball team. So when she saw 16-year-old Lauren Thomas stumble on the court this summer, she knew her outside hitter was having a stroke.

"Her speech was already slurring at that point. there was the drop page in the face," said Lowe.

In Ohio, coaches are not trained to spot signs of a stroke but do receive training for AED and concussion. For Lowe, she believes her personal experience put her in the right place at the right time.

"Four years ago my mother had a severe stroke but I feel like that changed me. I feel like I was very fortunate to be there and have that knowledge so I was able to help Lauren," said Lowe.

Akron Children's Hospital neurologist  Bruce Cohen said children are at a lower risk for stroke. "The risk of stroke in childhood, after the infancy phase, is about one in 8,000," said Cohen.

He says no matter what age, many folks seem perfectly healthy until the moment the stroke hits.

"You can have a paralysis or weakness of one side of the body, numbness of one side of the body, speech disturbances, changes in mental status a seizure," said Cohen. 

Cohen said, "Ask them to open and close their hands quickly. If one hand is uncoordinated or going much slower than the other, you know that there is a neurological problem going on.

Miraculously, Lauren is now walking and talking again in therapy. Her family, says it was no coincidence her coach was on the court that day.

"We call her our lifesaver," said Marla Hughes while talking about coach Lowe.

"Worst case scenario, if it was going to happen it couldn't have happened at a better time and a better place and with the best people around her," said Huck Hughes.

Through #laurenstrong, the family is urging others to learn the signs of stroke too.  Praying the powerful information can give someone else the gift of life too.

But Lauren's journey is far from over. Lauren's family says she will undergo surgery on Friday.