Stroke indication and how to help

<TT>
STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters...


My friend sent this to me and encouraged me to post it and spread the
word. I agree. If everyone can remember something this simple, we
could save some folks. Seriously.. Please read:

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:
During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured
everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and 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 evening.
Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been
taken to the hospital - (at 6:10am, Ingrid passed away.) She had
suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the
signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't
die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.

It only takes a minute to read this...
A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3
hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He
said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then
getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is
tough.
RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps, STR . Read and
Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.
Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke
victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to
recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three
simple questions:
S *Ask the individual to SMILE.
T *Ask the person to TALK . to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE, (Coherently)
(i.e. .. . It is sunny out today)
R *Ask him or her 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
emergency/hospital, immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

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.

</TT>