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"The first part of my life was TV and radio, the second part is helping people overcome this maladay of strokes," morning TV icon Mark McEwen explains to The Detroit News. "I can still talk. I give speeches, I tell people it's hard, but you do the work."

We're all glad about that. McEwen has written a book, "Change in the Weather: Life After Stroke," chronicling his long and emotional recovery after being stricken on an airplane in November 2005. It hits the shelves tomorrow.

"I couldn't talk, couldn't swallow," McEwen said. "I had to learn to walk again."

McEwen, 53, became a national celebrity as the weatherman on CBS "This Morning" from 1987-1996. He then became co-anchor of the program until 1999 and went back to the maps before leaving in 2002. His return to television three years later on Orlando CBS affiliate WKMG was derailed by the stroke.

"You can be here today and gone tomorrow," he continued. "You think you're invulnerable and you'll be here forever. Things happen to other people, they don't happen to you. I'm here to say they can happen to you. I don't wish that on anyone."

Part of his motive, with the help of Daniel Paisner, is to encourage other stroke victims to never give up on their recovery. He still has problems with balance and other simple, everyday tasks.

"Life is not a sprint, it's a marathon. These are the cards we are dealt, so let's play cards."

(Photo credit: www.wwwimage.cbsnews.com)