My cousin sent me this information in an email. It’s so important that I decided to post it here.

Remember The 1st Three Letters: S-T-R.

If everyone can remember something this simple, we could save some folks. Seriously..
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) ….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, 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 6:00 pm 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.

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.

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 and SAY A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) i.e. It is sunny out today)
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999/911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke: Stick Out Your Tongue

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.

I lost a dear friend, who was three years younger than me, to a massive stroke a couple of years ago. Her husband, a physician, was sitting across the breakfast table from her when it happened, but because the hemorrhage was so severe, nothing could be done. My father, on the other hand, had a stroke that was quickly controlled, and the damage was greatly reduced. Please take this information to heart, and remember the three simple signs.