Roger F. - Beverly Hills, FL

Game. Set. Match.

He didn't think much of the first episode of blurry vision, following a spirited tennis match. He lost sight in one eye, everything was blurry, and the light hurt his eyes, but it lasted just a minute.

The next time Roger played tennis, nothing happened. But the following time, the blurry vision and light sensitivity returned, this time for almost a half hour. And when it happened a third time, lasting more than an hour – all the way back home from an away match – his wife convinced him to see a doctor.

Because Roger also had chronic leukemia, the doctor thought the blurry vision experiences might have been mini strokes. But the message the doctor left for Roger on his message machine told quite a different story: His problem was a carotid artery, and he should get to Seven Rivers Regional Medical Center. Now.

The carotid artery is the major artery in the neck that supplies the brain with blood. And Roger's was blocked. Those bouts with blurry vision proved to be lucky in a way, because the first sign of carotid artery disease for others can be a stroke.

Following emergency surgery, Roger considers himself a very lucky person because of "all the blockage." But that was then. And now, Roger's back on the court, where he's seeing the ball more clearly.