Stroke Care Center - What is a Stroke?

Time Lost is Brain Lost
Every 45 seconds someone suffers a stroke in the USA

A stroke or "brain attack" occurs when a blood vessel (a tube through which the blood moves through the body) breaks or a blood clot blocks an artery (a blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body), interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. When either of these things happen, brain cells begin to die and brain damage occurs. When brain cells die during a stroke, abilities controlled by that area of the brain are lost. These abilities include speech, movement and memory. How a stroke patient is affected depends on where the stroke occurs in the brain and how much the brain is damaged.

Symptoms of a Stroke

Seek immediate medical treatment if you experience any one of these stroke symptom warnings:

Numbness or weakness of your face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Speech: Ask person to say "You can't teach an old dog new tricks"
Blurred, double or decreased vision in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness or loss of balance or coordination
Sudden severe headache with no known cause

Remember the phrase "Give Me 5":

Walk	Is their balance off?
Talk	Is their speech slurred or face droopy?
Reach	Is one side weak or numb?
See	Is their vision all or partly lost?
Feel	Is their headache severe?

Myth vs. Reality

Myth	Reality
Stroke is unpreventable	Stroke is largely preventable
Stroke cannot be treated	Stroke requires emergency treatment
Stroke only strikes the elderly	Stroke can happen to anyone
Stroke happens to the heart	Stroke is a "Brain Attack"
Stroke recovery only happens for a few months following a stroke	Stroke recovery continues throughout life