- Coming up on "Austin InSight," stroke occurrence among young people is increasing.

We'll share the remarkable story of a young stroke survivor on the road to recovery.

"Austin InSight" starts right now.

- [Announcer] Support for "Austin InSight" comes from Sally and James Gavin and also from Daniel L. Skret.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - Hi there, and thanks for joining us.

I'm Laura Laughead.

We begin with the topic of health.

Did you know, in the United States, stroke is the fifth most common cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability?

Now, health experts are saying that more young people are having strokes.

That actually includes one of our colleagues here at Austin PBS.

Lily Angelle on the "Austin City Limits" marketing team.

She had a serious stroke in February and had to relearn how to talk, walk, and live.

But her recovery, some might say, especially this time of year, is a miracle.

(machine beeping) - [Lily] I don't know if I'm gonna survive what's happening right now.

And that was very scary.

I was terrified.

Every day felt like a mountain to climb.

I refuse to accept that I'm going to let this stroke limit me at this young of an age.

- [Healthcare Worker] On three, we are going to stand up.

One, two, three.

- [Laura] We've all heard the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

- [Healthcare Worker] Okay, now you're gonna step, now bring your hip over your right.

- [Laura] But behind this single step is a thousand moments of pain and perseverance.

- Another thing you never think about until you don't have it anymore.

That's where I like flew back into the wall.

- [Laura] At 33 years old, Lily Angelle survived a major stroke earlier this year.

And if it weren't for these videos, today, you might never know.

- Before my stroke, I ran three times a week at least.

I mean, I've always been very active, very independent.

Paw.

Good boy.

- [Laura] And also kept up with her doberman lab mix, Strider.

But Lily did have a bad habit.

Cracking her neck.

- I've always sort of self manipulated or cracked my neck, cracked my neck in my sleep, and I jolted awake, and I thought that did not feel right.

- [Laura] Later that day, while at home.

- Cracked my neck again, and a pain shot to the front of my head.

- [Laura] Her speech slurred.

The right side of her body went numb and she collapsed.

Her husband, James, who happened to be around, rushed her to the ER.

- It's strange how everything kind of fades away that you thought was important.

- [Laura] Lily had torn an artery in her neck that caused a medullary stroke, a stroke in her brainstem.

- What happens is those neck vessels get torn, and then clots can form in and around that tear, and then later on, a small portion of that clot can dislodge and float downstream from where that tear is into the brain and cause stroke.

- [Laura] While this situation is rare, this kind of tear is a leading cause of stroke in young people.

- Anytime you're forcefully manipulating the blood vessels in the neck, there is a non-zero chance that something like this will happen, whether that's from an accident, like a car accident, or a fall, or from some kind of manipulation, like a chiropractic manipulation, really, the recovery goes on for years.

- When I was told I had a stroke, I was in utter denial.

I did not know what that meant.

I did not know what recovery time looked like.

I thought I would be back to work in a week.

- [Speaker] Whenever you're ready, see if you can move it again, Lil.

- [Laura] Instead, a week later, she was fighting for her life in the ICU.

- It was so terrifying in the beginning.

I can't even tell you.

I think we had to feed her for the first two weeks.

I mean, she couldn't even lift up a cup to drink.

At one point, she said to me, "If I'm gonna be a vegetable, don't let me go on like this."

It was just horrifying.

- [Laura] Just swallowing proved nearly impossible, let alone sitting up, putting her glasses on, or brushing her hair.

- Today's been pretty rough.

First of all, my mother-in-law braided my hair.

I don't want that.

- [Laura] But the hardest loss turned out to motivate her.

The marathon runner now couldn't walk.

- Every day, she kind of made up her mind at some point that this is not gonna be my life.

And she kind of made up her mind.

And so we had to take little victories every day.

- I have so much more to give in my career and in my life.

- [Laura] After two months in the hospital, Lily joined the Center for Neuro Skills.

- Good.

- A comprehensive rehab for patients with brain injuries.

- My leg is like, and I almost fell.

- [Laura] There, she worked with physical therapist, Jessica Price, - Wonderful.

- [Laura] And treated her recovery like a full-time job.

- What if I reach up here?

This therapy, it's all in.

This is a change to their body, change to their identity.

- [Laura] They recreated real life scenarios to rebuild her strength and neuroplasticity.

- Yeah, oh yeah.

- Does that feel like dog walking?

- That's like dog speed.

- [Jessica] Dog speed?

- [Laura] Anticipating the potential challenges in everyday tasks.

- Squirrel.

Lily, we love her so much.

She is a testament to hard work.

She was a wonderful light to not only us as staff members, but also all of the patients around her.

Go for it.

(Jessica snapping) I had high hopes she was going to reach where she was today.

- [Laura] Lily came to them in a wheelchair, and three months later, she walked away.

- [Lily] It's like night and day and it's wild to see the progress.

- To get to this point is like a miracle.

We think it's a miracle.

- [Laura] Her mom was by her side for her therapy and even retired early to help support her afterwards.

- For now, I just feel really happy and grateful that I get to be here and spend the time with her.

It's precious.

I don't think we've had one fight.

- Not really.

Just with like driving.

- (laughs) Yeah, she doesn't like the way I drive.

- No, she drives fine.

But there's just been a few scary moments.

- [Laura] Since her treatment.

Lily has gone to ACL Music Festival, walked a 5K, and gone back to work at her dream job as the marketing manager for "Austin City Limits."

- For all of you Longhorns out there, a burnt orange tee featuring the iconic ACL logo.

- [Laura] Her work does look a little different now, day to day, from monitoring her energy levels.

- I was extremely nervous to return here.

I know I have to pace myself and I know I have to, you know, kind of adapt to a new way of living.

- [Laura] To avoiding the stairs.

Not easy to do in most music venues.

- It's a little bit slow, but it's a good way to meet people in the elevator.

- All about ups and downs.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

It really is.

- Taking people to the next level.

- Exactly.

Yeah.

You're really quick with the puns.

- [Laura] It's a totally new world, with still a long way to go.

But there's no question.

This lifelong runner has the endurance to make it to her new finish line.

- When I look at those videos and those photos, I'm just absolutely astounded.

I can't believe how far I've come, and I am very proud of myself.

I wanna get back to a place where I feel like I am independent and I think I'm well on my way.

- Now, Lily is creating an accessibility guide for music venues here in town, and we're proud to say, as of last month, she has run a mile for the first time since her stroke.

Doctors say it's important for everyone to know the signs of a stroke because every second counts.

Here's how you can remember.

The acronym BE FAST.

B, balance.

Are they off balance?

E for eyes.

Is their vision blurry or double vision or gone altogether?

F, face drooping.

Is one side of their face drooping?

Ask them to smile.

A, arm weakness.

Is their arm weak or numb?

Ask them to raise their arms.

S, speech difficulty.

Is their speech slurred?

Can they speak?

Ask them to repeat a simple sentence.

And T, time to call 911.

If they show any of these symptoms, even if they go away, call 911.

(upbeat music) Meanwhile, with the federal government shutdown over, SNAP benefits that provide food to low income families have resumed.

But even before that interruption, Central Texas Food banks were experiencing an increase in demand.

Still, that brief pause helped reveal the significant extent of need in our area.

More now from Decibel, our community-based reporting project, led by senior multimedia journalist, Blair Waltman-Alexin.

- Put those on top.

- These right here.

- Is this all we have?

- [Louis] That's all we have.

(Roberto speaks in Spanish) - I don't know, I don't know if we're gonna get SNAP or not.

Well, I'll tell you what, you can tell the difference.

- There's just less to go around for everybody.

(soft music) (indistinct chatter) (indistinct chatter continues) I'm Louis Malfaro and I'm the Associate Executive Director at Austin Voices for Education and Youth.

Today we are at Wooldridge Elementary School and we're serving the Wooldridge, Burnett, and Navarro High School communities with a food pantry.

We've been doing these food pantries basically since the COVID Pandemic.

It just, it seems like families are in an ever more precarious position.

- Oh, it's gotten so much busier.

So it is Carol's Kindness Plus Pantry.

We are at the Gus Garcia Recreational Center.

If you wanna take these into the desserts thing?

- Yeah.

- We were probably seeing 50, 55 people a week.

Last week we had 193 people signed in, which translates to approximately 600 people to serve.

- We are at North Austin Muslim Community Center Grocery Drive Through Program.

It's a Sunday morning, 7:30 AM.

So the first few folks have been here since six.

In the last few weeks, we have seen a real uptick.

Last week alone, we have got 200 extra calls and we are expecting 200 additional families to come in today.

- Because of SNAP benefits being frozen for a period of time, there have been more people who need food.

- Oh sorry.

(Frederick speaks in Spanish) - It really makes a difference between, "Hey, am I gonna buy something else?

Am I gonna buy food?"

And you have to decide which one is more important, 'cause you can't have both.

I gotta pay an insurance bill, or I gotta pay light bill.

Which one am I gonna do?

I'm gonna buy food.

(Roberto speaking in Spanish) (Roberto continues speaking in Spanish) - [Worker] Right, and so when we right outta this one, we start on.

(Robert speaking in Spanish) - So it's kind of a one-two punch, right?

And we know that costs keep going up.

You know, we all see it at the grocery store, who's eating beef these days, right?

- I'm hoping for some meat.

This is my second Saturday.

Oh, it's been real hard and I don't even, you know, get Lone Star.

So mainly, I have to deal with food pantries and it's a big help.

- There's a lot of resources.

Definitely do research on all the resources.

I lost my government job while giving birth to my daughter and going through an adoption with my son.

And so unfortunately, it put us in a situation where, what do you do at that point when you're just kind of cut?

- We have families in our community that have no money for food, who have children, who are older adults that aren't working, that are retired.

And I think it's difficult sometimes for the average person to relate to that.

But we see that, we see what it looks like.

- [Interviewer] Do you think it's gonna get worse?

- I think it's gonna be more, I've had people come up to me and say, you know, "I'm on disability and this is the only way that I'm getting enough food to make it through the week."

Just makes you wanna cry.

- You know, knowing that times is getting hard, day by day.

We all need help every now and then, whether you're rich or poor.

- I think that's the biggest thing is lending a hand where you see you can to other people that are in the same position as you are.

- [Interviewer] But anything you'd like to add before I let you go?

- Hey, we are with you.

We are with anyone who needs food and will do our best to serve you.

(soft music) (soft music continues) (upbeat music) - This year marks a major milestone for an Austin holiday shopping tradition with roots that extend to the golden age of the local music scene.

We're talking about the Armadillo Bazaar, which blends creativity in arts and crafts and music.

Now at 50 years old, the Bazaar is bigger than ever.

And now we are joined by Bruce Willenzik, executive producer of the Armadillo Bazaar.

Bruce, thank you so much for being here.

- Well, thank you for having me.

I appreciate it.

- So 50 years is a big deal.

I mean, just ask our "Austin City Limits" team.

So can you tell us a bit how the Bazaar began and what was it like in those early days?

- Those days were the magic days when Austin changed, the mindset changed, where creativity became revered instead of differences being a stopping point, where you could be different, you could be strange, even, according to the local slogan, you could be downright weird.

But if you were original, creative, and good natured about it, you could earn acceptance, you could earn respect, you could earn adoration.

And that's what made the difference in Austin.

That's what opened the door for so many things to happen.

"Austin City Limits," Thundercloud Subs.

I mean, there are so many clubs, so many music things that started, so many things that changed Austin's identity to become a welcoming place for those who wanted to experiment in their lives and find their creativity and use it.

And even today, it became the basis for our identity today as a city of creativity.

So things were tight at the Armadillo World Headquarters.

We were strapped for money and I was looking for revenue.

And my friend, Lucinda Williams, made an offhand comment to me about, "Too bad the artists on the drag don't have a warm, dry place to sell."

It gave me an inspiration.

I lucked out and translated that inspiration into something that others could attach to.

And when we needed it the most, we got it, and it saved the Armadillo World headquarters, which was the nucleus of the music scene at that time, and we were able to spend the next 50 seasons growing it into what it is today for the benefit of the whole community.

- Clearly a lot was happening in Austin 50 years ago, and it was amazing.

It was a part of this wave of Austin really coming into its own.

And now look at y'all, all that y'all have done 50 years later, and that connection to music you described, it remains today.

And of course, we gotta pay our respects to all of the talented arts and craftspeople too, but the music especially is a big part of the crowd building success for the Bazaar.

So can you talk about how that came to be?

- Well, a lot of people assume that the Christmas Bazaar brought music into the art place because it was suggested by a musician, but actually, that's reversed.

We were the music hall, we were the main place for concerts between the East and West coast, and it was Lucinda's idea that we broaden our cultural reach and add the arts, and we're so glad that we did.

I wound up having a major role in arts development in this town, was on the Arts Commission for almost 29 years with a six year term limit.

And we changed this town culturally.

Now, it's Austin artists who dominate in the national art touring circuit across the country.

All the better art shows, you go to 'em, and you look at who's got a 787 or a 786 zip code, and it's a huge proportion of them and it's because of that 23rd street market and because of the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar, we were the catalyst that opened that up.

And now, I mean, we go to shows, been to 'em in 24 different states, and in all of them, the Austin contingent is the biggest one.

- It's like all roads lead back to Austin in some way in the art scene.

- Exactly.

How lucky we are to live in a town like this.

This is so fortunate.

- Well, and it's thanks to people like yourself and Lucinda for why we have that reputation today.

And you know, of course the Armadillo Bazaar is known for the quality and the creativity of the arts and crafts for sale each year.

But I wanna talk about this year for folks that are preparing to go, what are the top items you think people should be on the lookout for?

- This is where you get to see these artists putting out the work of their passion, their best pieces.

We have one, Landry McMeans, she's been showing small stuff everywhere.

She has a huge booth now and she can show the pieces that she's most proud of.

And you can see this from so many of our local artists, even the ones from the national tour circuit, most of those are Austin based, but they brought some of their friends in, just the top people out there, who had the kinda work that really appeals to Austin.

So if you're looking for something small and funky, we got that.

If you're looking for something really clever and small, we have that.

But if you're looking at a significant piece of art, a custom commission, to change your architectural quality of your home or your workplace, we have that too.

So we have really the best of all of it from top to bottom.

The music, the art, and everything is so heartfelt and wrapped in this wonderful aura of joy to be there.

For our artists, it's their most comfortable and joyous show they do for the year.

For our musicians, they love our stage.

They just think it's the best one.

We heard one musician say, "You hadn't made it in Austin until you played the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar.

Once you had, you can play anywhere."

- I mean, it's a rite of passage for artists, but also for families.

And I loved how you mentioned these pieces are so meaningful.

It's something that you can hang in your house, a constant reminder, but also you can pass it down to your kids.

And if you need a gift for maybe someone who's hard to find a gift for in your life or someone who has everything, it doesn't get more meaningful than that.

It's a holiday shopping experience like no other in Austin.

So congratulations, again, on the 50th anniversary, Bruce.

- Thank you so much.

- And thank you so much for being with us today.

The Armadillo Bazaar runs daily from December 13th through the 21st at the Palmer Events Center.

- Thank you.

(upbeat music) - And if y'all see me out there this weekend going crazy with my credit card, mind your business.

Before we go, we wanna take a look back at our first full year of "Austin Insight."

We covered a lot of ground in bringing you news, features, and in-depth interviews from education to the July floods, healthcare, the legislature, city hall, South by Southwest, iconic local favorites, and much more.

Coverage focused on topics that matter most to Central Texans.

Take a look back at some of our highlights.

- Take a deep breath for me.

- [Crowd] Save Texas schools.

- For our first edition of our series, Authentically Austin, we're taking you inside Joe's Bakery.

- She put it all in love of family.

- We didn't have no damn CGI.

They said, "Jump out the window."

We jumped out the window.

- I'm always advocating to make more movies here and hopefully get to do that in the future.

- [Laura] What's your favorite thing, if you could only pick one.

- It's the Frito vibe.

- This?

Plot twist.

- All day every day for me, it's Frito vibe.

(upbeat music) - [Laura] Let's talk education.

- Calling the biggest gun in the Republican Party.

- They could have just put two billion in the budget.

- I think they're happy, like the bathroom bill didn't pass.

- A couple things.

One is, it wasn't that close.

- Seeing my uncle, you know, he was thrown down a flight of steps by police coming in to talk with him.

- The reality of it all is that we have just too many schools.

(upbeat music) - What I'm against is using government power to elevate one of those faith traditions over all the others, to preach instead of teach.

- I was on the streets probably for about two years.

- We had to do a Thanksgiving out of an old Ford Econoline van, but we were together.

- I hate to think I'm being treated differently because I am Black, but I know it's true.

- Texas continues to fail Black women.

- [Reporter] We know that at least two ICE operations have been conducted in Rundberg.

- It's really scary for a lot of us just trying to exist.

- I use a tool to get around every day called a white cane.

- [Interviewee] The trial and tribulation that you've gone through, was it a way to get through it or did you get to something?

- We're standing on the remnants of this bridge over the Guadalupe River in Ingram.

- [Interviewee] It's hard to process the level of loss.

- [Interviewee] It's a disaster.

That's what it is.

- Survivors, families, community leaders, and journalists are all asking, how could this happen?

- No fire, no EMS, no- - Nobody came.

- No sheriff.

- Nobody came for us.

- My daughter was not identified until Thursday the 10th, and the only thing that identified her at all was her charm bracelet.

- The community feels the love and we really appreciate it all.

(soft somber music) - From movie stars, music, Matthew McConaughey, and more, once again, South by Southwest made a Texas sized name for itself.

PBS pick one real fast, Big Bird or Elmo?

- Incredible Hulk.

(indistinct chatter) (upbeat music) - Coming in hot.

- Seeing an opportunity, I sort of mustered up the courage, walked into the station manager's office, and basically pitched myself the job.

- Hey!

After all these years.

- Yeah, buddy.

- Look at that.

- He's like.

(upbeat music) - There is a beauty and an amazing heartbeat of this city.

And so I'm bringing love.

I'm bringing hope.

(upbeat music) - Seriously, what a year and can't wait to see what next year has in store.

That's our show.

Thanks so much for watching.

You can check out our stories and interviews on the Austin PBS YouTube channel and catch up on full episodes of "Austin Insight" for free in the PBS app.

We'll see you next time.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - [Announcer] Support for "Austin Insight" comes from Sally and James Gavin, and also from Daniel L. Skret.

(bright music)