Community stories

All roads led to Maastricht where the 12th European Stroke Organisation Conference (ESOC) was simultaneously a celebration of 10 years of Angels. Our favourite 20 pictures of the event include highlights from the Spirit of Excellence Awards, high spirits on the Angels booth, and the unveiling of the new Angels Regions target.

Timing is everything. A training webinar timed to coincide with a shift change meant both night-shift and incoming EMS teams could join an interactive masterclass in Ukraine's Cherkasy region.

This year's winners of the Spirit of Excellence Award 2026 were announced in Maastricht on Wednesday evening.

For Claudio Jiménez, transforming stroke management at his public hospital in northern Bogotá has moulded his vision of quality healthcare for all in a caring society. He explains how he coined the idea that saving brain tissue equals saving the social fabric – a statement that has become a way of thinking about stroke, particularly in his native Colombia.

Prof Sheila Martins has poured heart and soul into giving stroke patients a second chance, but arguably her greatest legacy is the large number of young doctors who believe in themselves because she did, and who are now rewriting the story of stroke. This is an edited excerpt from a conversation that was recorded for the Angels Stroke Heroes Podcast in Barcelona in October 2025.

"The most important part of becoming an Angels region is not the final recognition, but the process of shared growth.” This is the lesson from Argentina’s first Angels region.