12-year-old Sarah Weiss likely isn't the person you'd expect to see when you hear the term "stroke survivor," but last year she had a stroke.
"I was at my swim team practice and all of a sudden I just started to get a really bad headache so I swam down to the other side of the pool and by the time I got there I couldn't feel the right side of my body," Sarah said.
Her mom, Kim, got the call while she was at work and met her daughter at the hospital, "She did have all the classic symptoms so when I came to talk to her she couldn't really speak, she had the slurred speech."
Sarah reminds people of the acronym FAST: Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to call 911.
They did not know it previously but Sarah has a condition called focal cerebral arteriopathy. Sarah's recovery has been incredible. She was told she might not walk or talk properly, but she speaks wonderfully and is incredibly active. The Westside Middle Schooler dances, swims, golfs and runs cross country. She also does physical and occupational therapy.
"I think she sells herself short sometimes, she's worked hard," Kim said.
Sarah has also raised money through a lemonade stand for the American Heart Association. She took part in this year's Heart Walk and will be featured at the Go Red for Women Expo on Tuesday, September 25th at the Embassy Suites in La Vista. Tickets are available through Friday, September 21st.
KMTV 3 News Now is a proud media sponsor of the Go Red for Women Expo. Jennifer Griswold will be emceeing the event.
