(WXMI) — A Grand Rapids Christian boys basketball coach, Eric Taylor had a stroke on July 29, 2023. Taylor has made a full recovery and wants to share his story during stroke awareness month.
According to the American Heart Association, someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds.
Taylor was attending a concert with his wife in Detroit.
"As I look back, it was a normal day," Taylor said.
Taylor returned from intermission when his wife noticed he was slurring his speech.
"And at that point, she was like, 'something's wrong,' the blessing and all of that, two seats over was a nurse. Immediately without any uncertainty, she was like, 'he's having a stroke,'" Taylor said.
Taylor was rushed to the hospital and given clot-busting medication. Within an hour, doctors had removed the blood clot from his brain.
"For me to be here today, it's no short of a miracle," Taylor said.
The American Heart Association wants to emphasize the importance of the signs of a stroke. F.A.S.T. stands for face drooping, arm weakness, speech difficulty, and time to call 911.
"In acute strokes, symptoms come out all of a sudden. So this is a way to differentiate one of the things from other neurological disorders," Medical Director of Stroke at Trinity Health, Muhammad Farooq said. "It can cause significant disability if we are not taking care of those patients right away. We focus on every single second."
Taylor has made a full recovery and returned to doing what he loves most - coaching basketball.
"It meant everything. Just to speak to your players about persevering. To go through something so traumatic and to get back on that court it was breathtaking. It was just amazing," Taylor said.
With his new appreciation for life, Taylor is now advocating for stroke awareness.
"Bringing awareness and educating people. At some point, you may be someone who can save someone's life by just knowing the F.A.S.T acronym," Taylor said.
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