Did you know that having a Stroke is the third largest threat to your life? The facts are that 500,000 - 700,000 people have a stroke each year and this number is rising much to fast. Millions of brain cells die each minute a stroke is untreated. The American Stroke Association advises: "Stroke is a medical emergency. Know these warning signs of stroke and teach them to others. Every second counts: " Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body " Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding " Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes " Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination " Sudden, severe headache with no known cause Call 9-1-1 immediately" if you experience any of the above symptoms! "Time lost is brain lost!" Getting to the hospital within the first 60 minutes is critical! There are three types of stroke: Clot (Ischemic), Bleed (Hemorrhagic) and TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack) Chances are that it will happen to you or a loved one. It happened in my life to my parents within 2 years of each other. First, my Dad had a Clot (Ischemic) stroke and now my Mom has a Bleed (Hemorrhagic) stroke. Dad had a stroke that caused a clot to stop the blood flow to the brain. Mom had a hemorrhage in the brain stroke. Both are devastating to the person, the family and friends. My mother is an energetic flamboyant person. Everyday she gets up early and makes her list for the day. She plans what she wants to do and does it with ease and a fastidiousness that would make a professional time manager cry. That was until the other morning when she awoke, washed and dressed for the day. Something had changed, she was dizzy and confused. She lay down in bed and became incoherent. The 911 was called. My mom was rushed by ambulance to the hospital 10 minutes away. She was rushed to John's Hopkins Neuro-CCU by helicopter. My mother suffered a brain stroke. A 5.1 cm amount of blood has collecting inside her brain. This is a major amount of blood to be released into a totally closed area. This also pushes on the gray matter (your brain) and causes brain loss. This loss can be permanent and irreversible. This is the point of this article. You never know how much time you have on this earth and what you will be like after a major health event like a stroke. This not only changes the victim but many other people as well. My mom is in her tenth day of recovery from the stroke. The outcome is still up in the air but thank God she is getting better. My dream and outcome are for a full recovery over time with the help of dedicated medical professionals, a truly loving family and of course, GOD. Now the lesson: If you are not living your life to the fullest now, when are you going to start? I saw a vivacious woman changed by an event in an instant. When are you going to start living like you have no tomorrow? When are you going to laugh, have fun, create new friends, do what you have been putting off? Stop worrying about the bills, your job and your love life. Stop worrying but take action with a new attitude that you will live your life to the fullest. If you should have a life changing event tomorrow, will you be satisfied that you have lived fully. This moment is all that we can be assured of having. What happens next is... For more information on strokes visit: The American Stroke Association
http://www.strokeassociation.org A Division of:
The American Heart Association
http://www.americanheart.org |
