HIMPower Magazine HimPower November 2017 | Page 21

make a difference by telling his story. In speaking with him, we quickly realized how passionate he is about helping others. You could say he’s on a mission to educate others about what to do and what not to do to avoid being a stroke victim. And his impact is evident. You’ll learn more about it as he describes what happened and the blessings that have come from his testimony. HimPower: Coach AC, you come from a strong pedigree of football coaches so it’s easy to understand why you’re popular with the fans. How long have you been coaching? Coach AC: I’ve been coaching for 31 years. HimPower: What was it like when your game was suddenly interrupted by a stroke? What do you remember about that day? Coach AC: I remember my face drooping and I couldn’t keep my arm raised. What was interesting was I immediately knew I was in great hands. One of the paramedics was a former student, the other was the dad of one the players I had coached. So, it wasn’t like I was with strangers. I also remember feeling if I had to die tonight, I’m already good, I’m ready, not scared. If it’s not my time, I will get the test done.” HimPower: Did you have any symp- toms before the stroke occurred? Coach AC: I felt famished, and I’m never hungry during a game. My fingers were Coach Criss and his wife tingling, these were the only signs I had. Normally, I would have tried to shake it off, but the team doctor assessed me and told me I needed to go to the hospital. I was thinking, ‘I’m not going to spend $600 to go around the corner—the hospital was only 3 miles away. Within 30 minutes, my face started drooping, I couldn’t lift my arm and keep it raised and my face started sinking. I figured I had better get checked out. They administered TPA (Tissue Plasminogen Activator, a protein involved in the break- down of blood clots) as soon as we got to the hospital. I was able to lift my hand and foot within 4 hours of the medicine being administered, and the nurse had a look on her face. She said, ‘I’ve been doing this for a long time and for some reason, this is the quickest I’ve ever seen this work.’ My wife said, ‘I’m not surprised because I know what my God can do.’ I was getting up in ICU and they were amazed—people don’t walk in 2-3 days after having a stroke. I would get up www.himpowermagazine.com  21