Oklahoma news anchor suffers partial stroke on live TV—here's how to identify warning signs
An Oklahoma morning news anchor suffered the beginnings of a stroke while she was reporting on live TV. She has now been brought to the hospital and is in stable condition.
Julie Chin, an anchor for the station KJRH-TV in Tulsa, had a partial stroke last Saturday when she began to have difficulty speaking while reporting on NASA's since-canceled Artemis I launch.
"I'm sorry, something is going on with me this morning, and I apologize to everybody," Chin said when she started to notice that she was fumbling her words before shifting the show over to their resident meteorologist for a weather update.
Tulsa news anchor Julie Chin has the beginnings of a stroke live on the air. She knew something was wrong, so tossed it to the meteorologist, as her concerned colleagues called 911. She’s fine now, but wanted to share her experience to educate viewers on stroke warning signs. pic.twitter.com/aWNPPbn1qf
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) September 5, 2022
In a Facebook post, Chin updated citizens on her health condition after the incident.
Thanking those who wished for her wellness, Chin wrote that her doctors believed that she had the beginnings of a stroke during the live broadcast. She shared that the incident was completely unexpected as she felt fine before the program started airing until several minutes later.
"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," Chin detailed her experience.
"If you were watching Saturday morning, you know how desperately I tried to steer the show forward, but the words just wouldn’t come," she added.
Fortunately, her co-workers recognized the emergency situation and immediately called 911.
"I’ve spent the last few days in the hospital undergoing all sorts of tests. I’m thankful for the emergency responders and medical professionals who have shared their expertise, hearts, and smiles with me," Chin wrote.
She shared that her tests have all come back with good news and that she did not suffer 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."
The news anchor took the time to share some tips about recognizing whether you're having a stroke.
"This acronym helps identify the symptoms to look for: BE FAST and then if needed, be fast and call 911," she highlighted.
- 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 and Terrible headache
Aside from this, cardiologist and former vice-presidential candidate Dr. Willie Ong also shared an acronym for warning signs to recognize a stroke on his blog, calling it STRAW'.
- S - mile
- If you try to smile and one side of your face is lagging behind, then that is a sign of a stroke. This is because a stroke can affect the nerves controlling the muscles of your face.
- T - alk a few words
- It is also a sign if you are struggling to speak clearly, just like what happened to Chin. If you stick your tongue out and it is pointing slightly to one side of the face, then that is also an indication.
- R - aise your arms
- Another signal is if you are having numbness of the limbs, resulting in you having trouble lifting one side of your arms or legs.
- A - sk qustions pertaining to H-E-N
- Ong advised to ask yourself or another person having a stroke whether they have headache, eye problems, or numbness of the hands or legs. He said that it is a sign of stroke if your vision has become blurry or if you are having difficulty in perceiving peripheral objects.
- W - alk in a straight line
- Last but not the least, if you try to walk in a straigt line, but have difficulty doing so, then it is an indication that you are starting to suffer from stroke.