On Feb. 29, 2024, Jeff McCormick said his leg and arm began to go numb while he was with his family in Carthage. His stepmother told him he was having a stroke and called an ambulance. McCormick, who was 43 at the time, said doctors told him a large hole in his heart allowed a clot to reach his brain.
Lisa Hutchison, comprehensive stroke program director at UT Health Tyler, said stroke symptoms can be unclear and are not always chest pain. She said strokes are treatable if patients get care within a time window. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke each year.
Hutchison said stroke-like symptoms that go away should still be checked by a medical professional. She described them as a transient ischemic attack, or TIA, which can be a warning sign of a later stroke.
McCormick, who now uses his legs again after using a wheelchair, said his family kept him going. He advised others to lean on their families for physical and emotional support.