You May Be Able To Save A Life –
It was a beautiful summer day and a couple was taking a walk along a lake. As they were returning to the picnic ground where all their friends were, the man tripped over a rock laying on the ground. It wasn’t a major fall and he told everyone that he was OK …
He brushed himself off and even though he was shaken up, he enjoyed the rest of the afternoon. Later that evening, his wife took him to the hospital and he passed away because he had suffered a stroke after the fall. If someone at the picnic had known this information, his life might have been saved.
Take a minute to read this. If you do the actions yourself, you will remember them better when you need them.
Depending on the severity of the stroke, if a victim can get help by a neurologist within 3 hours, often the effects of the stroke can be reversed. The trick is getting a stroke recognized, then getting the patient help within 3 hours, which is tough.
Recognize A Stroke
There are 3 steps, STR plus a bonus!!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify, but follow these steps and you will have a much better chance of helping someone.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:
S * Ask the person to SMILE.
T * Ask the person to TALK (Speak a simple phrase coherently i.e. Chicken Soup)
R * Ask the person to RAISE BOTH ARMS.
Bonus:
Ask the person to stick out their tongue. (if it goes to one side or is crooked, this could mean stroke)
If he or she has trouble with ANY of these tasks, call emergency number immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
Pass this information along to anyone you know. Who knows, by doing so,you may be responsible for saving a life someday!