STA mentor Salvacion grateful to be back on field

September 17, 2012 6:25 PM

Two of Dave Salvacion's biggest loves in life are coaching soccer and officiating lacrosse. It takes something serious for him to leave the field in the middle of a game.

Having a stroke qualifies.

The symptoms surfaced during a girls lacrosse game he was working on May 14 in Portsmouth between the Clippers and Bishop Guertin.

"It happened at halftime," Salvacion said. "Everything was tilted sideways. I told my partner something was wrong. I started the second half. I tried to follow the ball, but everything just went sideways."

And his world was about to be turned upside down.

"I called time-out," he said, "and I promptly threw up at the scorer's table. That's basically the last thing I remember other than waking up the following Saturday after my surgeries and getting my last rites. That's how close I was."

According to Salvacion, a blood clot had formed near his heart and traveled to his brain, damaging the part of the brain that controls balance.

"I didn't suspect I was having a stroke," he said. "They said I was lucky it didn't go into my lungs. That would have stopped me dead in my tracks and there would have been no chance."

More here:
After stroke, a new outlook for soccer coach