For more than half her life, Aundrea Self Nichols has been nudging others to take care of themselves.

During her 26 years as a reporter and anchor with WCBI in Columbus, Aundrea routinely discussed health issues and the benefits of taking prompt action. In December 2024, she did well to take her own advice.

Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024, was the beginning of what was to be her final week at WCBI. Aundrea had been named as Director of Outreach and Engagement for the College of Business at Mississippi State University and was to assume her new role Jan. 6, 2025.

“I was excited about this new opportunity,” said the 50-year-old Starkville resident. “I had no fear of starting over, but there was some fear of leaving what I had known. Those people were my family.”

That morning while she and her husband, David, were getting ready, something felt off. “I began feeling strange and dizzy,” she says. ‘It was concentrated on the right side of my head. I could feel the left side of my body tingling.”

Her first thought was heart attack. “My husband acted quickly and wisely that day,” she said. “He said ‘get in the car and let’s go.’”

They drove to North Mississippi Medical Center-West Point, where she had a CT scan and saw a neurologist via telehealth.

Once she was stable, an ambulance transported Aundrea to NMMC-Tupelo for more advanced care. “I had an MRI there and when the doctor showed me the images and explained what was going on, I said, ‘Did you just tell me I had a stroke?’” she said. “I just melted into tears. I didn’t want to hear that.”

Fortunately, within 24 hours, her symptoms subsided. “Thankfully, it was mild, and the effects have mostly resolved,” she said. “I’m very, very fortunate that it was not as bad as it could’ve been.”

Aundrea’s family is “beyond grateful” for the care she received at NMMC in Tupelo and West Point. “It was a frightening time,” she said, “I felt informed and heard the whole time I was there.”

Despite the setback, Aundrea was able to start her new job on schedule.

She and her doctors have been diligently investigating the factors that contributed to her stroke—including high blood pressure, sleep apnea, genetics and stress. “I think my risk factors just caught up with me,” she says. “My father had a stroke in his 60s. I believe that stress has a big effect on your health. I have a 15-year-old daughter who keeps us busy, plus being active with my sorority, public speaking, church, serving on several boards – I never say no to anybody.”

Aundrea now takes blood pressure medication and uses a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) device at night for sleep apnea, a known cause of high blood pressure.

“As a journalist, I always reported of the importance of knowing your numbers,” she said. “I knew my numbers, but I didn’t know what they meant and didn’t really understand them.

“I now check my blood pressure once in the morning and once in the evening, and the numbers are lower than they’ve ever been.”

Aundrea is making big lifestyle changes too. “I’ve completely changed my eating habits,” she says. “I’m eating Mediterranean style – we’ve been very intentional, and I’m doing more cardiovascular exercise.”

And Aundrea continues to urge others to take care of themselves. “Listen to your body,” she said. “That day I could’ve very easily said ‘let me just lay down.

“Be your own advocate. Use myConnection to look at your test results. Make sure you understand what things mean. If you don’t, keep asking questions.”