CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — On Friday, John Moreno threw out the first pitch at the Corpus Christi Hooks game in honor of Strike Out Stroke Night, hosted in partnership with Christus Spohn Health System.
Moreno is a stroke stroke survivor and he’ll be the first to say that a stroke can hurt anyone.
A little nervous at first, Moreno was later excited to take the mound. He said he’s lucky to be able to walk to the mound, all because of what happened at his Hebbronville home, Feb. 6 at 10 a.m.
“I just came in from work, got out of bed. Had breakfast and felt weird I guess. No symptoms at all,” he said.
Moreno later realized he had a very subtle symptom, weakness in one of his arms when his cell phone slipped from his hand and he couldn’t regain his strength.
All alone, he was still able to call for help and he was then taken in a HALO Flight to Christus Spohn Shoreline Hospital.
“It scared me, I’ve never had anything like that happen to me," he said.
Before throwing out the first pitch, Moreno reconnected with the HALO Flight team that helped save him.
“It can happen to anyone at any age,” Amanda Webb said, director of neuroscience at Shoreline Hospital.
That’s the message Christus Spohn was trying to get out at the hooks game for their annual Strike Out Stroke Night. They set up a booth on the concourse to informing people of the signs and symptoms of the different kinds of strokes.
Corpus Christi is fortunate to be the home to the only comprehensive stroke center in the region, open 24/7.
“Before we were set up with 24/7 coverage, patients were having to go down to Harlingen, sometimes having to go to Houston. So, it’s great for the community that we’re open 24/7 to take care of that problem," Dr. Paul Schmitt, a neurosurgeon at Shoreline Hospital said.
Although he never saw his stroke coming, Moreno now knows what to encourage people to look out for.
"Especially after my age, I’m 45, it’s probably a good idea to go get checked," he said. "High blood pressure, cholesterol. Just do a yearly check up with your doctor make sure everything is good. It can make a difference between life and death.”
Moreno said he's feeling better, but he doesn't think he'll be the same person he was before his stroke.
Strokes can happen to anyone, so Dr. Schmitt recommended thinking about B.E.F.A.S.T to watch for symptoms.
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