DANVILLE, IL (Chambana Today) – OSF HealthCare patient Laura Williams is sharing how a simple radio interview helped save her life during a stroke.

May is Stroke Awareness Month, and OSF HealthCare is reminding the public that every stroke — even a small one — is serious.

Williams, a community college administrator and radio host from Danville, often interviewed Leslie Ingold, RN, a regional stroke navigator at OSF, for her show. In March 2024, that information turned out to be life-saving.

“I woke up feeling dizzy and off-balance,” Williams recalled. “My left side felt a little off-kilter. I thought, ‘This is strange. I don’t feel right.’ I was going to lie back down.”

But then she remembered something Ingold had said during one of their interviews: “If you think you might be having a stroke, don’t go back to bed — that’s the worst thing you can do.”

Williams immediately woke her husband and rushed to OSF HealthCare Sacred Heart Medical Center in Danville. Doctors confirmed she was having a small ischemic stroke — caused by a blood clot blocking blood flow to the brain.

Thanks to her quick response, Williams avoided serious long-term damage.

“If it wasn’t for that interview, I don’t know what it would have turned into,” she said.

OSF HealthCare urges everyone to remember the acronym BEFAST — a quick way to recognize stroke symptoms:

  • Balance: Sudden loss of balance

  • Eyes: Vision changes

  • Face: Facial drooping

  • Arms: Arm weakness

  • Speech: Slurred speech

  • Time: Time to call 9-1-1

Knowing these signs and acting fast can make all the difference.