INDIANAPOLIS— One year ago, 42-year-old Nick Schellinger suffered a stroke.
“I can honestly say in 42 years it was the scariest time of my life,” said Shelling.
Schellinger says he was picking up his twins from daycare when he noticed his right foot had lost feeling. He knew something was wrong and took himself to the hospital.
“By the time I got there from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet on the right side, I couldn’t feel. My tongue was numb, I went into the ER and told them I'm having a stroke,” said Schellinger.
The father of two spent a week in the hospital and has no lasting side effects. Schellinger says it was thanks to working in the construction industry that helped him notice the signs. A lot of their training includes recognizing heart attacks and strokes.
“My mind went to exactly to what that was and seek the help because the time from treatment is the utmost critical thing. I was able to get there within 15 minutes,” said Schellinger.
This year, Schellinger was named an American Heart Association Leaders of Impact nominee. Leaders of Impact shines a spotlight on heart health as heart disease is the number one killer worldwide.
The 7-week competition raises money and educates communities on the symptoms and warning signs of heart disease.
“I hadn’t told many people about my stroke and so I said this is going to be my platform and this is the time I’ll turn something really bad into something really good,” said Schellinger.
Schellinger raised $250,000 which is the most by an Indiana candidate. He was named the American Heart Association Central Indiana Leaders of Impact winner.
“That is pretty special, something I’m still trying to wrap my head around,” said Schellinger.
Schellinger says he wants to remind everyone to see a doctor regularly.
“Had I done that, someone along that way would have told me my blood pressure was getting out of control. My body had just built up a tolerance to that feeling over a long period of time so there was no moments of panic but my story could have been completely avoided.”
Leaders of Impact launched on Oct. 17 and culminated on Dec. 4. Each nominee’s participation is focused on opportunities to be a changemaker with a shared purpose to raise critical awareness and fund the mission of the American Heart Association.
Other local nominees included:
- Dr. Janel Gordon, WISH-TV
- Savannah Kerstiens, Reliable Energy, Inc.
- Robert Shegog, The Indianapolis Recorder
- Mackenzie Thorne, Custom Concrete
For more information about Leaders of Impact and a list of all the 2024 nominees, please visit leadersofimpact.heart.org [leadersofimpact.heart.org].
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