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SALT LAKE CITY — Longtime Salt Lake County Councilman Randy Horiuchi never thought he would suffer from a stroke. He never thought he would fight for his life, and he never thought he would still be in therapy months later.
But that's the thing about strokes. You never think it can happen to you, until it does.
"A stroke is truly one of the more devastating, but also misunderstood afflictions someone can have," Horiuchi told KSL News in a recent interview.
"I can't really pinpoint the time I was having it," the councilman said. "It's not like a heart attack, where all of a sudden you have a pain in your chest."
It's made me, in many ways, a better human being ... It's hard to say that, but I do believe that.
–Randy Horiuchi, SLCO councilman
In January, the councilman was on his way to an appointment. He had just started his car when he says his foot fell asleep on the pedal and his arm hit the horn. Horiuchi's daughter rushed outside and, despite his protest, insisted on calling 911. She thought he was having a heart attack.
When the ambulance arrived, Horiuchi got quite a shock.
"They were down in about 5 minutes, hooked me up to an EEG and said, ‘You're having a stroke,'" he recalled.
Because they caught it so quickly, emergency responders were able to prevent Horiuchi from having another stroke — possibly saving his life.
What followed has been months of therapy, both physical, and cognitive.
You can show your support for stroke awareness at the My Heart, My Life walk coming up in Sept.
- Date: Saturday, Sept. 22, 2012
- Time: Expo opens/registration at 7:30 a.m.; Races begin at 8:30 a.m.
- Location: Sugarhouse Park
- Registration: $25 to enter 5K race; Walk is free.
Visit www.heartwalkutah.org for more information.
Horiuchi's speech wasn't affected, but he has some nerve damage. He says therapy with University of Utah Dr. Heather Hayes has made all the difference in his recovery.
"All the therapies — whether it's physical, occupational or speech — you may have any types of those impairments, and sometimes these can be long-lasting deficits," Hayes said. "But if you continue to work on them, and you have that guidance of ‘how can I work on them?', then it can be extremely valuable to allow them to continue to improve in years to come."
In addition to therapy, Horiuchi has also cleaned up his lifestyle by changing his diet and exercising more. Hayes is thrilled with his progress and, believe it or not, Horiuchi is actually grateful he suffered a stroke.
"It's made me, in many ways, a better human being, and so I'm more competent," he said. "It's hard to say that, but I do believe that."
