TV anchor experiences ‘beginnings of a stroke’ on live TV; some early symptoms to look out for

Julie Chin, a television news anchor in Oklahoma, suffered an onset of a stroke during a live telecast recently. While reporting on NASA’s postponed Artemis-I launch, Chin suddenly started struggling to form words. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Something is going on with me this morning, and I apologise to everybody.” After being unable to continue with the show, she handed over the broadcast to the weather team. “Let’s just go ahead and send it on to meteorolog Annie Brown.” Fortunately, her co-workers were quick to recognise a medical emergency and called 911.
“The past few days are still a little bit of a mystery, but my doctors believe I had the beginnings of a stroke live on the air Saturday morning. Some of you witnessed it firsthand, and I’m so sorry that happened,” Chin wrote on Facebook.
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Explaining the incident, she shared that over the course of several minutes during the newscast, “things started to happen”. “First, I lost partial vision in one eye. A little bit later my hand and arm went numb. Then, I knew I was in big trouble when my mouth would not speak the words that were right in front of me on the teleprompter,” she added.
Revealing that her tests have come back “great”, Chin added: “At this point, doctors think I had the beginnings of a stroke, but not a full stroke. There are still lots of questions, and lots to follow up on, but the bottom line is I should be just fine. I’ve learned that it’s not always obvious when someone has a stroke, and action is critical.”

This acronym helps identify the symptoms to look for: BE FAST, she said.
B.alance (Sudden loss of balance)E.yes (Sudden vision changes)F.ace (Facial droop)A.rms (One arm drifts downward)S.peech (Slurred/confused speech)T.ime (Terrible headache)

Calling stroke “a medical emergency”, Dr Aparna Gupta, Senior Consultant, Neurology, Indian Spinal Injuries Centre said, “A stroke happens when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures and bleeds or when the blood supply to the brain is cut off. Blood and oxygen cannot reach the brain’s tissues due to the rupture or blockage which can result in long-term brain damage, disability, or even death.”

Early signs
“Stroke symptoms occur in the body parts controlled the affected areas of the brain,” the expert said.
A few symptoms are:
*Vision problems in one or both eyes*Numbness in limbs*Slurred speech*Fatigue*Poor mobility

What you should do?
If you or someone near you is experiencing these early signs, seek emergency medical assance, even if they appear to come and go, or resolve completely, Dr Gupta said. “Call an ambulance so medical personnel can begin life-saving care on the way to the emergency room.”
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