Stroke Awareness Month: survivor shares story, teaches signs to look for

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (CBS12) — May is stroke awareness month.

CBS12 News spoke with a stroke survivor about the acronym 'BE FAST' which he says is the reason he is still alive today.

• Balance
• Eyes
• Face dropping
• Arm weakness
• Speech difficulty
• Time to call 911

"I went out to water my wife’s flowers and that’s the last thing I remember," said Steven Weber.

Weber is a Palm Beach County teacher.

He tells CBS12 News his stroke was nearly a year ago.

I never had any symptoms.

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"I never had any symptoms. Nothing," he recalls.

Last summer, Weber had a stroke in front of his home.

Weber says his neighbor is a former law enforcement officer, whose knowledge of the acronym 'BE FAST,' is the reason he is alive today.

His doctor, Dr. Juan Gomez, agrees.

"A stroke is an emergency," Dr. Gomez told CBS12 News.

Dr. Gomez is the Director of Neurointerventional Radiology and Director of the Stroke Program at Jupiter Medical Center.

Using advanced technology to detect the blood clot, Dr. Gomez was able to remove it within minutes.

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"What leads to a stroke?" Asked CBS12 News Reporter Stefany Valderrama.

"There are multiple risk factors associated with stroke," said Dr. Gomez. "There are medical risk factors such as high blood pressure or hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol.”

According to Dr. Gomez, lifestyle choices including heavy drinking, smoking, and lack of exercise can also increase your risk for stroke.

In Weber's case, he doesn't drink or smoke. However, it was later discovered he had a heart condition that was not previously detected.

Dr. Gomez tells CBS12 News the critical minutes during a stroke, and getting the patient to the hospital as soon as possible could be the difference between life and death. He went on to say Weber is living proof, 'BE FAST,' works.

“The only drawback that I have had... [is] was my writing," Weber told CBS12 News. "I actually write better on the board now, than I did before the stroke. For some reason, it's neater, it's nicer than it ever was!"

According to the American Stroke Association, women have a higher risk of stroke and that risk is higher among women of color. The association recommends talking to your doctor and getting screened for atrial fibrillation if you are over the age of 75.