About 3 years ago, my grandmother suffered a stroke. It was a really scary time for my family and we weren’t sure if she was going to recover. In the end, she was able to make a very good recovery, but the whole experience made me very aware that I didn’t know a lot about strokes…in fact, I knew very little.
Did you know that stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and the leading preventable case of disability in the US? Each year, about 800,000 Americans suffer a new or recurrent stroke. Furthermore, someone in the world has a stroke every 2 seconds.
As you may know, World Stroke Day is Thursday, 10/29, so we’re working with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and the Ad Council to raise awareness about Stroke knowledge, prevention, and what to do in an emergency. Here’s why this work matters.
- 1 in 6 people will have a stroke in their lifetime.
- 1 in 3 Americans cannot name at least one sign of stroke.
- When you recognize a stroke and immediately call 9-1-1, the person has a greater chance of getting to an appropriate hospital quickly and being assessed for treatment options like a clot-busting drug or clot-busting device.
I hope you’ll support the effort because together, we can end stroke. Here are just a few of the things you can do to help:
Learn the Signs – Learn how to spot a stroke by learning the F.A.S.T. signs. In case you didn’t know, F.A.S.T. stands for:
- F – Face Drooping – Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person’s smile uneven?
- A – Arm Weakness – Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
- S – Speech Difficulty – Is speech slurred? Is the person unable to speak or hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like “The sky is blue.” Is the sentence repeated correctly?
- T – Time to call 9-1-1 – If someone shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 9-1-1 and get the person to the hospital immediately. Check the time so you’ll know when the first symptoms appeared.
Share the Paul George PSA – Join thousands of people promoting stroke education. The latest stroke PSA features NBA All-Star Paul George.
You can read more on his mother’s stroke story here.
Join the @American Stroke Twitter Chat! It will be hosted by @iHeartRadio on 10/29 at 12pm CT. The hashtag is #StrokeChat. Hear other people’s F.A.S.T. Songs, share your own, and join us for a great discussion about stroke! There will even be giveaways.
Share the F.A.S.T. Song – The ASA has created a simple song to help people remember the stroke warning signs. We have the F.A.S.T. song in several musical styles – pick your favorite and share! If you’re really brave, sing it, or record a lip sync version. It’s fun and for a good cause. Use the #singFAST hashtag.
Download and share mobile app – There’s an app for that and at least one person is glad she had it! www.StrokeAssociation.org/warningsigns
Please remember, each of your shares, tweets, songs, and downloads are important and appreciated. They could save a life!
Has someone in your life been affected by stroke? How will you help spread the word about #WorldStrokeDay this month?
