Tilghman band teacher recovers from stroke thanks to fast-thinking students

Thanks to his fast-thinking students, a band teacher at Paducah Tilghman High School has recovered from a stroke.

Chris Loe was teaching his percussion class when he was suddenly unable to recognize his arm as he held it out in front of himself.

The students began asking him what was wrong, but he could not answer as he became paralyzed along his entire right side. The students immediately recognized something was wrong and called 911.

Loe was taken to Baptist Health Paducah, where he was given a clot-busting drug to reduce the effects and lessen the chance of permanent disability.

Loe said he credits the quick action of his students and Dr. Braun Hashemi for his recovery.


The hospital encouraged the public to memorize the acronym B.E.F.A.S.T. to learn about stroke symptoms.

• B – Balance: Does the person have a sudden loss of balance?
• E – Eyes: Has the person lost vision in one or both eyes?
• F - Face Drooping: Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile.
• A - Arm Weakness: Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
• S - Speech Difficulty: Is speech slurred, are they unable to speak, or are they hard to understand?
• T - Time to call 9-1-1: If the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 9-1-1 and get them to the hospital immediately.

Other signs of a stroke include a sudden severe headache, sudden confusion, or trouble understanding.