Stroke Identification

During a BBQ a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone
that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and just tripped over a
brick because of her new shoes. They got her cleaned up and got her a new
plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about
enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken
to the hospital - (at 6:00pm, Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a
stroke at the BBQ - had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke
perhaps Ingrid would be with us today.

It only takes a minute to read this-
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he
can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was
getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed and getting to the patient within 3
hours which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps. Read and Learn!

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately,
the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain
damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke. Now
doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple
questions:
1. *Ask the individual to SMILE.
2. *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
3. *Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently, i.e. . . It is
sunny out today). If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks,
call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could identify
facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the
general public to learn the three questions. They presented their
conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last
February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and
treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.

BE A FRIEND AND SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH AS MANY FRIENDS AS POSSIBLE!

You could save their lives.