http://www.kidshealth.org/kid/ill_injure/index.html

STROKE: Remember The 1st Three Letters... S.T.R.

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured
everyone that she was fine (they offered to call the Ambulance). She said
that she just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. They got her
cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken
up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening. Ingrid's
husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the
hospital. At 6:00pm, Ingrid died. She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ. Had
they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be
with us today.

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he
can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was
getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient
medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. The stroke victim
may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the
symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple
questions:

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

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 carrying out ANY ONE of these tasks, call the
Ambulance immediately !! and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.
A cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to
10 people, you can bet that at least one life will be saved.