Signs of Stroke

Do you know what the signs are for stroke? Would you know what to do if you or a loved one was having a stroke? How would you react if suddenly you were unable to speak and communicate with people around you? Literally, like a switch being shut off to your vocal cords. Done – finished. How would you tell people that you thought you might be having a stroke if you could not speak, or even write down your thoughts because every time you put the pen in your hand to the paper, the words you wanted to express turned into something else?

I thought that I knew the signs of stroke, and I certainly did not think that it could ever happen to me. However, at the age of 33 immediately after teaching a step aerobics class I had a stroke.

I felt nauseous, I felt dizzy, my face felt numb, and I could not speak (all typical signs of stroke). And all the while I knew what was going on around me. There was a flurry of activity: people asked me if I was ok, what day was it; what was my name; what was there name? Silence. I could not answer. I was having a stroke at one of the most renowned business schools in the world on a beautiful day in July, and there was nothing I could do about it.

Luckily, my husband (boyfriend at the time) knew the signs of stroke. Several months earlier he watched a program on the signs and symptoms of stroke. His quick thinking and scientific background literally saved my life. But unfortunately, timing is everything when it comes to stroke, and this is one of the elements of stroke that people do not know.

Stroke does not discriminate. It does not care how old or young you are. It does not care what color your skin is, and it does not matter if you are male or female. And in many cases, it comes without warning, and the after effects are life changing, and quite often devastating.