Recognizing Stroke

Here is a forward I recently got on recognizing stroke. I wish had learnt about this a while ago, that would have helped in recognizing the symptoms my father when he was in US with us. At that time, even though we understood them to be some medical condition, we didn't quite take it seriously partly because my parents didn't have health insurance.

On return, my father had a massive stroke and due to lack of prompt medical care, he has been paralyzed for close to 4 years now. With that still fresh in my mind, this email forward struck a chord. I believe this will help many others as well hence this post..

RECOGNIZING A STROKE
Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps, STRoke. Read and Learn!
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. Here is how a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S *Ask the individual to SMILE .
T *Ask the person to TALK , to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently: It is sunny out today.)
R *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

{NOTE: Another 'sign' of a stroke is this: Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue... if the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is also an indication of a stroke}

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, then immediate medical attention is a MUST.