Advocate Spotlight: Nick Schellinger

In November of 2023, Nick Schellinger began experiencing numbness on the right side of his body while picking up his twin sons from daycare.

“I knew what was happening and was scared,” Schellinger recalled. “I quickly decided to advocate for myself and insisted to the emergency room desk staff that I was having a stroke. All feeling from head to toe on the right side of my body was gone. A nurse overheard me and asked me to smile. When it was clear I could not smile, I was taken back into the ER immediately, where I received scans and soon after lost the ability to speak.”

Thanks to his own knowledge of stroke warning signs, Nick was treated immediately and was released from the hospital a week later with no lasting effects.

“I owe my success story to the fact that I am in construction and have attended countless safety training classes, and I knew what was happening,” Schellinger said. “I knew time was of the essence and I got to a hospital. I demanded to be seen. I knew what to do and advocated for myself. Many in this world do not, and many are not as lucky as I was. I now watch my health more closely and take proper precautions. But my list of action items doesn’t stop there. In fact, I believe my story has just begun.”

In 2024, Nick fundraised over $250,000 for the American Heart Association’s Leaders of Impact campaign.

Nick also serves on the Indiana State Advocacy Committee, working to advance the Association’s policy priorities at the Indiana Statehouse and in communities throughout the state. About his work with the Committee, Nick remarked, “Advocacy is essential to our mission—it amplifies our collective voice, raises awareness, and drives meaningful, systemic change. I’m honored to be part of that work.”