KJRH anchor Julie Chin said she’s OK, after having what doctors said was the “beginnings of a stroke” on a Saturday morning newscast.
Chin said she felt great before the show, but over the course of the newscast lost partial vision in one eye and then had her hand and arm go numb. She said, she knew she “was in big trouble” when she could “not speak the words” written on the teleprompter. “If you were watching Saturday morning, you know how desperately I tried to steer the show forward,” said Chin. “But the words just wouldn’t come.”
“I’m sorry, something is going on with me this morning—and I apologize to everybody,” the Tulsa NBC affiliate anchor said before tossing to meteorologist Anne Brown.
On Sunday, Chin wrote on Facebook that her doctors thought she had the beginnings of a stroke live on the air. “Some of you witnessed it firsthand—and I’m so sorry that happened,” she wrote.
“I’m glad to share that my tests have all come back great,” she said. “At this point, Doctors think I had the beginnings of a stroke, but not a full stroke. There are still lots of questions—and lots to follow up on—but the bottom line is I should be just fine.”
She also gave a tip about how to recognize when someone is having a stroke:
*Most importantly* I’ve learned that it’s not always obvious when someone has a stroke—and action is critical. This acronym helps identify the symptoms to look for: BE FAST and then if needed, be fast and call 911.
B.alance (Sudden loss of balance)
E.yes (Sudden vision changes)
F.ace (Facial droop)
A.rms (One arm drifts downward)
S.peech (Slurred/confused speech)
T.ime and Terrible headache