It Only Takes a Minute ... and Can Save a Life!
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One neurologist reports that if he can get to a stroke victim within three hours, he can totally reverse the effects of the stroke--totally! He said the trick is having the stroke recognized and diagnosed, and then getting the patient treatment, within three hours. That's tough, because a stroke can be hard to identify. But without medical attention in this time frame, a stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage or even die.

Just remember these easy steps for recognizing a stroke:

• S--Ask the individual to SMILE. (You can also ask the person to STICK out his or her tongue. If the tongue is crooked, if it goes to one side, that is also an indication of stroke.)
• T--Ask the person to TALK, or speak a simple sentence, such as "It's sunny today."
• R--Ask him or her to RAISE both arms.

If the person has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

Notes from the Second Quarterly Conference, 10/22/06