More stories from stroke survivors

I'm running across more stories, from around the world, about stroke survivors. For Stroke Awareness Month, I'll highlight a few. Today, three stories:

May is National Stroke Awareness Month — know the signs:

I didn’t want to believe it. I always thought strokes were for people in their 70s or 80s, not 42-year-old men. ...

May is National Stroke Awaerness month and it is important to know the signs:

They are — numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg - especially on one side of the body, confusion, trouble speaking or understanding, trouble seeing in one or both eyes, trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination, and severe headache with no known cause. More than anything else, don’t hesitate to call 911. It saved my life.

Nearly five years later, God has blessed me with a second chance at life.

I was having a stroke:

While I was in hospital, I did some research from my bed and came across the Irish Heart Foundation website, stroke.ie, which I found very helpful. I was very impressed with its FAST (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) campaign, which raises awareness of the signs of stroke and the need to act fast. Stroke can happen to people of all ages, which is why it’s so important for everybody to be aware of the signs and symptoms.

Woman talks about locked-in syndrome during stroke awareness month

Eight years ago, the then-15-year-old basketball star started feeling dizzy at practice.

"Someone was like, 'Oh my gosh, whats wrong with her?'" she said. Then she started to slur her speech and was rushed to the emergency room.

"It was panic, pure panic. I thought I was going to die," she said.