Arkansas stroke survivor raises awareness of little-known symptom

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - When thinking of the symptoms of a stroke, a few things may come to mind, like slurred speech, facial droop and arm weakness. There's another lesser-known indicator that could be a clue that something's wrong, though, and that small change could make all the difference.

The signs of a stroke are spelled out in BE FAST: changes in balance, eyesight, the face, arms, or speech, all indicating it's time to call 911.

When Michael Capoot found himself in Florida, it wasn't anything unusual. As an avid traveler, Capoot is used to exploring new and interesting places with his family. What was unusual was what happened to him while taking in the scenery.

"I was looking at a sign," Capoot remembered, "and the word was 'sun cruiser' but I only saw 'cruiser.'"

He figured it was just a temporary lapse in vision until a few days later, when Capoot was looking around for shuffleboard cues.

"And blam," Capoot said, "I ran smack into a big post right there, and I said, 'Uh., something's wrong.'"

The accident was the wake-up call he needed, and after eight days of blurriness and double vision, he decided to visit a local hospital. But when the diagnosis came back, it wasn't an issue with his eyes, but his brain.

It was an occipital stroke; the reason for the "E" in BE FAST and a medical emergency marked by changes in eyesight.

Capoot had been seeing a loss of vision field for days, not realizing the severity of the issue as his brain filled in the missing gap.

When it came time to treat him, it was too late to reverse the symptoms.

"When this happened to me," Capoot said, "never in a million years did I think it might have been a stroke because I didn't know that had anything to do with that."

Two years later, Capoot is finding his footing and working with the Stroke Education Support Group at UAMS to recover, using resources and conversations with other survivors to find a new outlook.

"I think it's really important to have that education and support," Paige Womack, who leads the UAMS stroke education program, said. "Mike really reminds us all of the importance of the E."

Capoot is still having issues with his vision but is learning everyday how to navigate. While he recovers, he's hoping his story can be a lesson to others; if something is wrong, get help.

"Unless you are actually checking, you'd never know," Capoot said. "I didn't have a clue.... I'd quite possibly be in a different situation right now today."

For more information on the stroke support group at UAMS, visit Stroke.org.

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