Yet another stroke survivor video

This truck driver found his way to safety and help, despite his stroke that occurred on the road.

Now, recovered and back on the highways, told his story to encourage others to act quickly if they see any stroke signs.

Story of faith and stroke recovery

Another stroke survivor story

This video tells the story of a Northland (near Kansas City, Mo.) man who had the help he needed.

Another story showing the value of knowing those stroke signs!

Awareness of stroke facts can save lives

Every group, every person should pay attention to and know basic stroke facts:

Every three minutes, someone dies of a stroke and one stroke occurs every 45 seconds. That is 750,000 strokes per year, according to Dr. Sayona John, a neurologic intensive care physician of Rush University Medical Center. She spoke at a program sponsored by Rush Generations, a free health program for older adults and their caregivers.

"Unfortunately public awareness of stroke is rather poor,” said John. “The knowledge is worse among the elderly, especially among women and minorities. They are also not aware of the treatment options that are available when you have a stroke,” she said.

'Joyful ... patient ... faithful'

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

-Romans 12:9-12

"Be joyful in hope ... ."

Paul went through some dreadful, awful, torturous experiences during his ministry. But again and again, he wrote about hope.

I can't imagine the life Paul had - he turned turned from society's "in" crowd and took the path of the often persecuted. Perfect? No. But that was not required for Paul and it's certainly not required for Christ followers.

So when human afflictions seem overwhelming, I hope you can find comfort in Paul's writings. He, too, was afflicted but found peace.

Every community should have this

Something that should happen everywhere: Stroke victim Web site is launched:

A new website on stroke awareness has been designed and developed thanks to St Camillus' Hospital and the Limerick Stroke Support Club.

Approximately 450 people present annually to the Mid-Western Regional Hospital in Dooradoyle following a stroke.

This website aims to provide information about stroke and ancillary services to stroke survivors, their families and friends.

Window widens - but still, don't wait

Treating stroke patients with the powerful clot-buster tPA has a wider window:

Last year, European clinical trials found that selected patients still benefit from tPA up to 4 1/2 hours after a stroke.

Now, an advisory from the American Heart Association formally spells out which patients might benefit from later tPA treatment. But the chairman of the committee that issued the advisory -- Gregory J. del Zoppo, MD, professor of medicine and adjunct professor of neurology at University of Washington, Seattle -- warns patients not to misinterpret the statement.

"The message is that stroke patients still need to come in for treatment as soon as possible. There is no benefit in waiting," del Zoppo tells WebMD. "Despite the fact that patients who come in even 3 to 4 1/2 hours after stroke can benefit, they should not wait."

Good words - "should not wait." As someone who was able to receive help right away, I can attest: Even if you think you or someone is showing stroke signs or symptoms, even for the mini-stroke variety, listen to what the doctor said, and don't wait.

Mini-stroke can be a major warning

A "mini-stroke" can be anything but, according to this mention from Forbes.com:

About half the people who have a major stroke soon after a less serious brain event, such as a transient ischemic attack or "mini-stroke," do so within 24 hours of the minor event, a new study finds.

The message here for people who have a TIA is to "seek medical attention immediately, particularly if you have either weakness or speech disturbance that lasts more than 10 minutes," said the study's senior author, Dr. Peter M. Rothwell, a professor of clinical neurology at the University of Oxford in England.

"Don't wait until the next day - it may be too late," he said.

Good advice. Remember that often, time = recovery.

(Drawing from the National Library of Medicine)

Older stroke patients might miss out on care

As a non-doctor, I'm convinced my care was excellent. But I might have had an advantage: I was relatively young (39) when it happened.

Older stroke patients, though, might receive inadequate care, according to this study:

Older people are less likely to receive high-quality stroke care compared with younger patients, researchers warn. And this is despite evidence suggesting that care is equally effective across age groups, they note. The new studies point to ageism in stroke care — the first is published online April 16 in BMJ and the second in the March issue of the Postgraduate Medical Journal.

"We found low rates of secondary drug prevention," report the BMJ study authors, led by Rosalind Raine, PhD, professor of health-services research from University College London, in the United Kingdom.

What can a non-doctor do? First, speak up for stroke prevention. But if it happens, be an educated advocate for a loved one who becomes a stroke patient.

Exercise to prevent stroke

Strokes happen around the world, and prevention measures can, too. A reminder that exercise can help prevent stroke:

...(S)trokes can be prevented. By doing 30 minutes of exercise five times a week the risk can be reduced - with walking an excellent and simple form of exercise.

Charity director Tony Richardson said: 'Walking 10,000 steps a day can help to reduce body fat, and to lower and prevent high blood pressure and cholesterol - two major factors for stroke."

As a longtime runner, I know exercise can make a difference.

(Photo from CDC)