Following His Stroke, Headmaster Starts a Food Revolution at His School, Starting with Student Lunch

Jacksonville, Florida, April 12, 2010 -- In Huntington, West Virginia -- named the "Country's Unhealthiest City" in a CDC health report -- British chef Jamie Oliver is transforming the town starting with student lunches at a local elementary school. The journey is chronicled in the hit TV show, "Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution."

In Jacksonville, Terry Bartow, 56, started his own food revolution at Jacksonville Country Day School, where he is headmaster of the preschool through sixth-grade educational facility on the Southside. With the support of the school's Board of Trustees and faculty, Bartow has helped turn student lunches into healthy meals, complete with a giant salad bar and made-from-scratch soups using fresh ingredients instead of processed foods. And he has beefed up the school's nutrition, fitness and science curriculum, as well.

It all started with his stroke on January 28, 2008.

Bartow had been suffering from a severe episode of disequilibrium for a week or so, but wasn't that concerned since the feeling always went away. One morning, he woke up to severe dizziness and nausea. His wife drove him to a local clinic, where the doctor ordered an MRI. "The doctor came back in the room, and although he didn't use the word, 'stroke,' he told me he had arranged an ambulance for me to go to Baptist Medical Center and it was waiting outside," remembered Bartow. "He told me I'd be seeing the best neurologist in town and that was Sean Orr, MD."

Dr. Orr, medical director of the Baptist Stroke Center and a member of the Baptist Neurology Group affiliated with Baptist Health, was waiting at Baptist with a team of Code Stroke members, which includes an emergency medicine physician, neurologist and stroke-certified nurse. "They had already arranged a room for me," he said. "Dr. Orr told my wife that I had a severe stroke and my brain swelling was so bad that it was 50/50 that I would make it through the night."

Fortunately, Bartow did make it through the night. "He survived because he received aggressive, expedited stroke care at our Certified Stroke Center at Baptist Medical Center," says Dr. Orr. "He immediately received a full set of diagnostic tests, along with clot-busting drugs to protect his brain."

When Bartow met with Dr. Orr again, the neurologist told him about the severity of his stroke, which had destroyed the right side of his cerebellum. "However, he was surprised that I was up and walking around with total control of my speech and limbs," remembers Bartow. "Dr. Orr said the left side of my brain must've been really developed to compensate for what I had lost. And he also said I survived because I came in promptly."

Only 36 hours later, and after a thorough neurological and physical therapy evaluation, Bartow was released from the hospital with a new lease on life. Although he ate healthy and exercised before his stroke, he committed to an intense health and fitness program. A type 2 diabetic, Bartow successfully lowered his blood sugar, decreased his blood pressure, lost 30 lbs., took his healthy eating habits to a new level and began working out more often.

"Despite the severity of his stroke, Terry has recovered completely," says Dr. Orr.

Bartow not only made a commitment to his own health, but decided to put his 30 years as an educator and teacher of the hard sciences to work to help his 483 school children, ages 3-12, become healthier.

"I asked myself how I could be more effective in the area of children's education," remembers Bartow. "One of my passions became serving the healthiest school lunch in America. It didn't happen overnight, and I'll be honest, I made myself really unpopular in the beginning when I outlawed things like ketchup because it's loaded with corn syrup. Little by little, though, we've made great strides and there's more I want to do. I love seeing the little ones who think it's the greatest thing to load up their plates with salads and vegetables because that's the way you're supposed to eat!"

Not only that, but his students have physical education every day, a rarity in many schools with budget cuts. "We encourage our kids to always carry water bottles to keep their bodies and the brains totally hydrated. We offer quite a bit of education about how the brain works, and our curriculum reflects our strong commitment to physical fitness, diet, nutrition and brain health. I believe that when you are part of teaching children in a school, your responsibility doesn't end at reading, writing and arithmetic."

Sports are a big focus at the school, too. "We put in the first geothermally heated pool at Jacksonville Country Day School, and now have an elementary swim team after school," he says. "There are all kinds of sports for the kids to play."

Dr. Orr was so impressed with Bartow's school that he transferred his own daughter there two years ago. "He took the principles of better diet and applied them to his school, so now there are hundreds of kids who are eating better," says Dr. Orr.

Having a stroke has also positively affected Bartow in other ways. He stopped thinking about things he wanted to do when he had the time and started actually doing them: he takes piano lessons so he can finally play the baby Grand his wife got him six years ago, he learned to play golf, and he's learning Italian. He makes phone calls to people who are important in his life, to let them know he cares. "I'm doing things I was always putting off in the past," he says.

And he's changing children's lives, and possibly their parents', too. "In many ways, having a stroke was a gift. I don't know how much time I have left on this planet, but as long as I'm here, I want to do what I can in order to feel I've made a difference."

"Terry demonstrates the power of one stroke survivor and the impact on the community he can have," says Dr. Orr.