Recognising a Stroke - Important Information

Francis Cannon passed on this very important information - it only takes a minute to read, and yet you could save a life.

During a barbecue a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) as she said she 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 6:00 pm, Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the barbecue and no one was able to identify it. Had people known how to identify the signs of a stroke perhaps Ingrid would have been alive 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. The neurologist said that the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed and getting to the patient within 3 hours. 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 that anyone without medical training 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) eg ..."It is asunny day today".

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call the emergency nos. 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. A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this information 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, youcould save their lives.

Thanks Francis.

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