An Oklahoma news anchor suffered the beginnings of a stroke during a live TV broadcast Saturday, she said, after appearing to struggle to speak in the on-air incident.
In video of the newscast shared online, Julie Chin, a reporter with NBC affiliate KJRH of Tulsa, can be seen appearing to struggle through a live report on an event marking the attempted launch of NASA’s Artemis I rocket.
Chin revealed in a lengthy Facebook post Sunday her doctors believe she suffered the beginnings of a stroke, but not a full one.
“The episode seemed to have come out of nowhere. I felt great before our show,” she said.
Things took a turn in a matter of several minutes during the newscast.
“First, I lost partial vision in one eye. A little bit later my hand and arm went numb. Then, I knew I was in big trouble when my mouth would not speak the words that were right in front of me on the teleprompter,” she wrote. “If you were watching Saturday morning, you know how desperately I tried to steer the show forward, but the words just wouldn’t come.”
She thanked her co-workers for recognizing the emergency situation and calling 911.
Chin shared a photo of herself in a hospital gown saying she’s spent the last few days in the hospital undergoing “all sorts of tests.”
“I’m glad to share that my tests have all come back great,” she said. “There are still lots of questions, and lots to follow up on, but the bottom line is I should be just fine.”
She expressed gratitude to the public for the outpouring of supportive and concerned messages, as well as for her doctors, family and KJRH staff.
“My Dad jokes this is the first extended period of time I’ve spent by myself since my son was born, and he’s right,” she said.
Now, Chin is spreading awareness about strokes and recognizing symptoms, including loss of balance, vision changes, facial droop, one arm drifting downward, slurred or confused speech and headache.
The anchor assured viewers she’ll be back at the news desk sharing more stories in a few days.
“Thank you all for loving me and supporting me so well,” she wrote.
