BOISE, Idaho — A Treasure Valley man is alive after experiencing a stroke last June. He credits a local firefighter, and the medical professionals that met him in the emergency room, for saving his life.
Mark Walters is an English teacher, athletics director, and a father. He has also lived a healthy lifestyle, even picking up pickleball in the last few years.
In June 2022, he had what he says was an abnormal headache.
“I don’t know, a little bit of a sparkle and things, and I was like, 'Okay, this is unusual, and I know I’m supposed to play pickleball at 6 o’clock, so I’m gonna go ahead and lay down',” he recalls.
He didn’t think much of it and went on to play pickleball with friends at Hobble Creek Park. “It was about 10 minutes into the pickleball match, and then the only thing that I remember was I heard voices and I had already gone down on the court. The next thing I actually remember, I had awakened in the hospital and it was all over,” remembers Mark.
Mark had suffered a stroke and was rushed to the emergency room.
Neurologist Dr. Raymond W. Grams II of St. Luke’s explains, “A stroke is a sudden event that occurs when a blood vessel supplying oxygen to the brain is suddenly blocked or ruptures.”
Mark credits his fellow pickleball players, Sam Singpraseuth and fire-fighter Rob Townsend, for noticing the signs of his stroke and acting fast to call emergency responders. “He (Townsend) was able to go through everything that needed to be done, to make sure that, ‘Yep, he’s got the speech [slurring]', and I couldn’t answer questions,” said Mark.
Doctors agree, saying it is a miracle he survived.
“I know that when I came to, I had conversations with two different neurologists, and one of them looked at me and said that I’m a miracle, and I’m in the 99.9%,” said Mark.
Mark’s family gathered at the hospital and have been by his side through his recovery. “Evidently I had a conversation after everything and they thought that I was pretty normal and they were amazed,” he said.
And while he feels almost back to normal, Mark says he is still recovering, “My right side is still numb, and my hands are numb, and my motor skills ... it’s hard to open things,” said Mark.
Both Dr. Grams and Mark share the message to listen to your body when you're having abnormal symptoms, no matter how small.
“90% of [symptoms] can be recognized if you can remember the acronym to BE FAST, which stands for Balance, Eyes, Face, Arm, Speech, and Time. That could be a warning sign of a stroke and we want individuals to call 911 right away.”
“Looking back, I would have called when I had that headache because it was abnormal. So I encourage people to do that when they see any of those signs,” says Mark. “It is a miracle, they keep saying that, and I am just thankful every day that I survived it.”
