STRoke

Since I posted a long email about how to identify a stroke last week, I found out a friend's dad just suffered a stroke. So here's the deal. If you think someone may have had a stroke (even if they just stumble and say they're fine), there's an easy way to know for sure.

Remember the first 3 letters of the word "stroke":

STR

Ask 3 simple questions:

S * Ask the person to SMILE
T * Ask the person to TALK -- to speak a simple sentence
(i.e. . . It is sunny out today)
R * Ask the person to RAISE BOTH ARMS

*NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to stick out their tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other, that is also an indication of a stroke. If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately. The sooner the diagnosis, the better chance of a full reveral of symptoms.

Maybe this post will help someone you know (or don't know) some day. Thanks for reading it through!