SALT LAKE CITY — Sen. Daniel Thatcher says he's feeling "100%."
The lawmaker, who suffered a series of strokes, is back on Utah's Capitol Hill and chairing committees in the interim legislative sessions.
"At 45, the idea of a stroke never entered my mind," Sen. Thatcher, R-West Valley City, said in a recent interview with FOX 13 News.
He's now urging people to pay attention to the symptoms of stroke and to seek treatment fast at the first sign of symptoms.
"The faster you get care and the faster you get intervention, the more likely you are to have a positive outcome," he said.
During the legislative session earlier this year, Sen. Thatcher worried his colleagues when he appeared to be suffering a medical condition during a tense debate in the Utah State Senate. He insists the high-profile incident was overstated.
"I was watching a heart monitor. I was concerned my heart rate was going a little high. So I took a few minutes to rest and use breathing exercise to bring down the risk," he said. "I think because people were so sensitive and so hyper-focused on my health, I think there was a lot of overrreaction."
More and more people under the age of 50 are having strokes, but fewer people are dying from them, said Liv Sasaki, the executive director of the American Heart Association of Utah.
"If you are experiencing or someone you see is experiencing any symptoms, we like to use the acronym F.A.S.T.," she said. "That's F: face drooping; A: arm weakness; S: slurred speech; and if you recognize those signs? T: time to call 911."
Sen. Thatcher said he wants to encourage more discussion about "brain health," which is a more encompassing term for a variety of things people may have to deal with.
"The idea of brain health, the average person is not going to be able to know the difference between a mental illness, mental health, substance use disorder, someone who’s having a stroke could display symptoms of those things," he said. "Somebody who’s had a traumatic brain injury could display any of those things, Alzheimer’s and dementia. Brain health could encompass all of those things and also takes away the stigma and puts brain health on the level of physical health."
