The KroBlog Can Save Lives

Here's a little story which should help you learn how to identify a stroke:

During a BBQ (not mine, but "someone's") a friend of the host stumbled and took a little fall. The host offered to call paramedics but the person who stumbled assured everyone that she was fine, that she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. Her friends got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food - while she appeared a bit shaken up "Sunny" went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.

Sunny's husband called later telling everyone that she 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 alive today.

A neurologists says that if he/she can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he/she 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 can be tough.

Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps. Unfortunately, the lack of stroke awareness spells disaster.

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. 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 THE KroBlog WITH AS MANY FRIENDS AS POSSIBLE, you could save their life.