After a 4 am trip to the bathroom, I barely made it back into my bed. My entire right side was paralyzed, I couldn’t talk properly, and had no clue what was happening to me.
I was just 44 years old.
Thankfully, my wife awoke and called 911. They arrived within 10 minutes but, by then, my symptoms had passed. The EMTs checked me over and said it could have been vertigo or perhaps a TIA (mini-stroke). They advised we call the doctor in the morning.
I went back to bed. My wife went to her computer.
Thankfully, she quickly found a ton of stroke resources on Stroke.org, woke me up and said, “I’m driving you to ER, you are at imminent risk of another stroke.”
Sure enough, just a couple of hours later, while being evaluated by an ER doctor, I had a massive stroke.
If you’re reading this, you likely already have a good understanding of how life-threatening a stroke can be, especially if not treated quickly. You also likely have the F.A.S.T acronym committed to memory.
Have you told others? If not, please use October 29th’s World Stroke Day as an opportunity.
Tell your family members, tell your friends, tell your coworkers. Please, tell everyone!
By spreading the word about the signs of a stroke, and the importance of acting quickly when you see them in someone else, you could help save a life.
Acting FAST saved my life. Thanks to my wife learning about the signs, and acting quickly, doctors were able to operate on the two clots in my brain. Ignoring them could have meant death or severe disability, but by acting FAST, my recovery was FAST as well.
Just two days after being hospitalized, I walked out of there, unassisted…unless you count holding the hand of my wonderful wife.