Farmer's Stroke Story: Why He Almost Didn't Go to the ER

Steve says his memory of that day is a little foggy and everything happened fast. What he does remember is feeling "out of it and tired" during a trip to a board meeting, and figuring it was just exhaustion after a five-hour drive.

His wife saw something different. When Steve tried to join the conversation and wasn't making sense, then started drooling badly enough to soak the front of his shirt, she knew something was wrong. Back at the hotel, Steve kept thinking he'd feel better once he caught his breath and got his bearings. It was other board colleagues and staff who spoke up and insisted he get to an emergency room.

That decision may have saved his life. At the ER, a CT scan confirmed he was having a stroke, caused by a blood clot in his carotid artery. The attending doctor was blunt about it: based on the scan, he said, Steve shouldn't have been able to walk into the hospital under his own power, let alone sit around chatting while they waited for a helicopter to arrive.

Steve was airlifted to a stroke and blood clot specialist in Rockford. During the flight, monitors picked up on another problem and by the time he landed, doctors found his heart was functioning at only about 15% of normal capacity.

Looking back, Steve says the scariest part is that he wasn't aware of what symptoms he was even showing. He just felt off and not like someone in the middle of a stroke. It was the people around him who recognized the signs and made sure he got care.

Steve's message for other farmers, especially during Safety Week: don't rely on your own judgment when something feels off. Stroke can cloud the very awareness you'd need to recognize it. Listen to the people around you and they can see what you can't.

Stroke warning signs (BE FAST):