If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks.

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 hospital.  At 6:00 pm, 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.

Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead. 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 then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE 

It's easy, just remember the "3" steps: S. T. R.

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify, and lack of awareness can spell disaster.  The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Ask three simple questions:

S  Ask the individual to SMILE.

T  Ask them to TALK, to SAY A SIMPLE SENTENCE (coherently) (i.e. It is sunny out today)

R  Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

NOTE:  Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue.  If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 000 immediately.