Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Keith McCord ReportingHere's a sobering statistic -- on average, every 45-seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke. Many people die because they don't know what the warning signs are and don't get medical help, but a Salt Lake man is trying to change that.
Rob Mateus suffered a massive stroke more than two years ago. He spent months in therapy trying to reclaim his physical strength and speech.
Rob Mateus, Stroke Recovery Victim: "I couldn't do anything. I couldn't walk, I couldn't talk, I just laid there."
Now he volunteers his time visiting hospitals, sharing his story, in hopes that others don't ignore the warning signs of a stroke as he did.
Rob Mateus: "It started with my leg and then went to my arm, and then to my mouth."
Following heart disease and cancer, strokes are the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Rob was fortunate; he survived and he's made remarkable progress. Now, several times a week, he visits stroke patients in hospitals, giving them advice and encouragement.
He urges people that if they experience headaches, blurred vision or have problems with balance or numbness to call a doctor.
Last week, Rob joined 500 other volunteers from across the nation to lobby all members of congress to provide more funding for heart disease and stroke research and education. Rob met with Representative Jim Matheson and Senator Bob Bennett.
Kara Thompson, American Heart Assn.: "When we're asking for money to increase treatment and prevention programs for stroke or heart disease, understand who the people are impacted. Their stories really help the legislators understand the personal side."
The personal side for Rob was having to give up a successful career at the age of 53. But now he's giving back, trying to help as many people as he can.
