SIGNS OF A STROKE

First, cut this out and put it on your refrigerator with some magnets:

SIGNS OF A STROKE – SAVE A LIFE! Tell the person: S   “Smile.” T   “Talk to me. Say, ‘Mary had a little lamb.’” R   “Raise both arms.” O   “Open your mouth and stick out your tongue.” Then you: K   Kall 911 if the person has trouble with any ONE of these. E   Educate others on these signs.

I’ve received a forwarded email several times in the past few years about how to tell if someone is having a stroke.Usually I just delete those emails that are circling the planet but occasionally I’ll open them for some important message or a good belly laugh. Don’t count on me though, to forward it to seven or nine or however many friends.

The one I looked at today was one of the important ones -- ways to identify a stroke and save lives.  And AGAIN I printed it out because I hadn’t memorized it any of the other times I’d read it.

But it’s four pages (!) - not a short, concise thing I can put on my refrigerator. Whoever wrote it made a valiant attempt to make it easy for us to memorize by having us remember the first three letters of STROKE. Then I got the idea to use ALL the letters and to share it with my readers. 

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within three hours, he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke…TOTALLY.  The trick is recognizing the signs of a stroke and then getting the patient medically cared for within three hours, which rarely happens. Oftentimes a stroke victim will say they just had a dizzy spell or tripped on something. It takes fast action by someone who knows the signs of a stroke.

If someone falls and seems somewhat disoriented or a bit shaken up, use these tips immediately. Look for slurred speech and weak muscles. When they stick out their tongue, if it’s crooked or goes to one side, that also indicates a stroke.

Yeah, so I can’t spell – but Kall 911 gets the point across. 

Growing younger means living a long, long time and having a strong, healthy body and clear, sharp mind until the day you leave this planet. Know how to recognize the signs of a stroke and you may be able to save a life and help someone avoid serious brain damage.  Pass it on.