WASHINGTON — Former "NCIS" star Pauley Perrette is sharing details for the first time about a medical emergency she experienced, in hopes of raising awareness for others.
Perrette recently revealed in a tweet that she suffered a "massive stroke" last September.
"Yes, I'm still here again. Like how many times do I cheat death," the actress pondered in a video accompanying her tweet. "Like I almost died from a hair dye allergy, I have food allergies, I am a domestic violence and rape survivor."
"I've been through a lot in the last two years. Things that are harder than having a stroke. But I'm still here and I'm still grateful and thank you those of who are my friends," she added.
Perrette played crime lab investigator Abby Sciuto on the hit CBS show "NCIS" for 15 years.
During an interview this week with Entertainment Tonight, Perrette explained that she woke up one day with "no feeling" on the entire right side of her body. She called her doctor, who told her to go to the emergency room immediately. While she told ET that she was reluctant to do so, she followed the doctor's advice and was quickly admitted to a hospital stroke ward.
Perrette told the outlet she faced months of "lingering effects" but is "totally OK now" and really wants people to get educated about the signs of a stroke.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, signs of a stroke include sudden numbness, especially on one side of the body, sudden confusion, trouble seeing in one or both eyes, trouble walking or loss of balance, sudden severe headache with no known cause.
If you think someone is having a stroke, the CDC says to remember the acronym F.A.S.T. and try the following test:
F—Face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
A—Arms: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
S—Speech: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is the speech slurred or strange?
T—Time: If you see any of these signs, call 9-1-1 right away.