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 had 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-

Recognizing a Stroke
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 and getting to the patient within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

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 identify 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 dispatch! er.

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.

A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this sends it to 10 people, you can bet that at least one life will be saved.

BE A FRIEND AND SHARE THIS ARTICLE WITH AS MANY FRIENDS AS POSSIBLE. You could save their lives