Stroke survivors share life-changing moment in UMC support group
May is Stroke Awareness Month and the University Medical Center of El Paso continues their efforts to teach the community how to spot a stroke and what action to take.
UMC holds support groups for stroke survivors and ABC-7 heard about their complicated journeys to recovery.
"I went from walking 20,000 steps per shift to where I can barely walk a mile now," said Ed Aguilar, a former nurse.
Aguilar survived a stroke five years ago, and after losing ability to speak, today he continues to faces a disability.
UMC says strokes are the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S. and the first in causing long-term disabilities in adults in our community.
They also say it's no longer affecting just older adults, but those around 45 years old or even 22 years old.
The problem they say is that strokes can be silent until they cause loss of vision, or facial drooping, or weakness on one side of the body.
Aguilar says UMC's support group teaches him to take care of himself and feel less alone.
"When you have a stroke, you become isolated," he says. "The people that you thought were going to be your support group suddenly disappear, and you might have hundreds of friends, and then suddenly have five or 10."
Jose Cabrera was volunteering at the food bank until he lost strength in his arm and dropped everything.
But his biggest mistake he says was waiting hours before going to the hospital, terrified not knowing what was happening to him.
Cabrera has been going to the support group for three months now, he's grateful to be alive and be with others who've gone through the same thing.
"It makes me more happier, I'm sorry to say that because I see that a stroke can really hurt somebody and mess up their lives and made me stronger in a way," Cabrera says.
UMC is also changing the way strokes are treated with their mobile stroke unit — designed like an ambulance but with a CT scanner, which can cut down treatment time significantly.
These support groups are open to anyone every last Tuesday of the month at 6 p.m. in the neuroconference room.
