The "New Face Of Stroke"

Nearly a year-and-a-half ago, a stroke almost killed former Early Show weatherman Mark McEwen.

After a lot of rehab, he's moving and speaking, and now he's traveling around the country, telling people how to reduce their risk of stroke.

McEwen says he decided to put out the word because, "When you face something like this, either you get busy living or you get busy dying. I choose living. If I can get one person to change course and avoid a stroke, then I want to do it.

"I sense that people don't listen to their doctors as much as they should. People pay more attention to someone like me, who has actually experienced a stroke."

On The Early Show Friday, McEwen told co-anchor Harry Smith, "I'm fine, but it changed my whole life. I work out every morning, for 45 minutes. I avoid salt. I avoid sugar. I avoid fried foods. I eat fish. I eat veggies, fruit, oatmeal."

McEwen says proudly, "I'm a stroke survivor. There are about 6 million of us in the country. I didn't know anything about strokes before I had one. What I know now could fill up (a) room. But I didn't know the signs. The signs are important."

In a nutshell, they are: numbness or weakness in the face; trouble speaking, walking, seeing, thinking; sudden, unexplained headache. Those are all symptoms you had. When we talked the last time you were here, spell-binding. These things all happened to you, but it never occurred to you these were signs of stroke.

In fact, McEwen says, "There is a system to remember called 'FAST.' 'F' is for your face. It's a sign of stroke is your smile droops. 'A' is for arms. Try to hold both above your head. If you can't, that may be trouble. 'S' is for speech. If you have trouble understanding what someone is saying, that is a sign. 'T' is for time. If you have difficulty, time is of the essence. You must get treatment quickly."

McEwen recalled for Smith that the symptoms even got by the doctor who treated him in the emergency room: "He said he thought I had the flu, misdiagnosed me. And now I know it was a stroke.

"But, Harry, I'm the new face of stroke. Stroke -- most people think it happens late in life. It does. But it can happen any time, any age. And … it's hard, but you can come back."

McEwen stressed that, if you've had a stroke, there is a significant risk of having a second but, "If you change your lifestyle and be healthy, you can lower that risk. People have a stroke and they don't change anything. But I changed everything.

"They got me once, the first time. But will be hard to get me the second time!"

McEwen is working on a book due out in May 2008 to be called "Change in the Weather."

He also pointed out that May is National Stroke Month.