How to identify a stroke.

During a BBQ, a woman stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offeredto call paramedics) ...she said she 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, Jane wentabout enjoying herself the rest of the evening.Jane's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 PM Janepassed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke,perhaps Jane 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 astroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patientmedically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.RECOGNIZING A STROKEThank God for the sense to remember the '3' steps, STR. Read andLearn!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 astroke.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 and SPEAK ASIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently)(i.e. Chicken Soup)R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe thesymptoms to the dispatchNOTE:Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue.If the tongue is crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke.A cardiologist says if everyone knew this information, one life would have been saved for sure.