Greetings,

I just received an e-mail this morning concerning recognition of a stroke. My parents both have had a stroke several years ago and it is by the grace of God that they are still here.

I checked this information out on snopes.com and it is legitimate advice so I thought I would share it with everyone.

Cheers
Bill

Recognizing a Stroke - It only takes a minute to read this:

During a recent BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall. Some of the party attendees offered to call paramedics but she assured everyone that she was fine and had 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 afternoon at the BBQ. Just a few hours later that same day, Ingrid's husband called to say that his wife had been taken to the hospital and at 6:00 P.M. she had passed away. She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ and had the others known how to identify the signs of a stroke perhaps Ingrid would be with us today.

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. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed an getting to the patient within three hours which is tough. Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify and unfortunately, a lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

THREE STEPS FOR RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Now doctors say a bystander 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) (Example: “It is sunny out today” or “the weather is nice today”)

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps. Read and Learn!

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 e-mail 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, you could save their lives.