Craig Hunt almost lost his life to a stroke in 2016 when he was just 39 years old. The barber in Des Moines, Iowa, suffered the stroke just a week after his son was born.
Hunt told Local 5 News that at the time of his stroke, he was active and felt healthy. However, he had decided to stop taking his high blood pressure medication.
“I was going to the gym, playing basketball, working out. I was working 45, 50 hours a week, you know, I felt great,” Hunt said.
Hunt’s stroke recovery story
He was left to face a plethora of new health challenges after he lost sensation in his left side and his dominant hand. It also forced him to re-learn how to cut hair with his non-dominant hand.
“Couldn’t cut with my left hand. I had to learn to cut with my right hand. So, it was like starting all over again. And I knew the product that I was delivering wasn’t as good. And I was trying to mask everything that was going on with me, and I was embarrassed,” Hunt shared with KCCI 8 News.
Today, his hand has healed an Hunt feels “100% healthy.”
“For me, my story is being a reverse tornado,” Hunt shared with Local News 5. “Meaning that I try to build everything up that comes in my path, so I feel like that’s a way for me to help build other people up, build my community up, work with a great organization that helps people, so it brings me great joy.”
Hunt partners with the American Heart Association
In 2022, Hunt started a new initiative in Iowa called Blood Pressures in Barbershops, a partnership created with the American Heart Association. Local nurses are brought into local barbershops to take free blood pressure checks for clients as they also get their fresh cuts.
There are now more than 80 barbershop locations offering the free service.
“This served as a really great platform to kind of bring some great education to the community and say, hey, if this could happen to Craig, this could happen to anybody,” Wesley Franklin, community impact director for American Heart Association of Iowa, told Local 5 News.
What is a stroke?
A stroke is defined by the American Heart Association (AHA) as “when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts (or ruptures). When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, so it and brain cells die.”
It is the #4 leading cause of death and disability in the United States. Stroke side effects include paralysis, sensory changes, vision problems, emotional and behavioral issues, and more.
The AHA recognizes May as American Stroke Month, meant to help bring education and awareness to stroke symptoms and lower stroke risk. The acronym “BE FAST” explains stroke symptoms:
- B – Balance loss
- E – Eye (vision) changes
- F – Face drooping
- A – Arm weakness
- S – Speech difficulty
- T – Time to call 911
According to the American Heart Association, 80% of strokes are preventable, and nearly one in four stroke survivors have another stroke. To lower stroke risk, they recommend managing high blood pressure, controlling cholesterol and glucose levels, and a number of healthy lifestyle choices like losing weight, eating well, and quitting smoking/tobacco/vaping.
