Save Lives...

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

During a party, 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 - (Ingrid passed away.) She had
suffered a stroke at the party. 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 three
(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
Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps, STR . Read and
Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately,
the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe
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:
S *Ask the individual to SMILE. Is their smile crooked or normal/symmetrical?
T *Ask the person to TALK . to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE
(Coherently) (i.e. . . It is sunny out today) Can they do it?
R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS. If they cannot do this there is a real problem!

{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 9-1-1 immediately
and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.