.::: STROKE OF HOPE NETWORK :::.

Participate in the tradition of giving by making a much-appreciated contribution.

Nurses Take The Initiative in Stroke Prevention, Treatment, and Follow-up

It's 9 PM on a Saturday evening. You're out to dinner with friends. Everyone is talking, laughing, and having a good time. Suddenly you realize you cannot move your right arm, and when you try to tell the person sitting next to you, he doesn't understand your speech. What would you do?

Hopefully, the person sitting next to you will recognize the symptoms of a brain attack. If you are very lucky, you will be brought to a Stroke Center, where you will receive state-of-the art stroke care.

A stroke, or "brain attack" occurs when the blood flow in the brain is interrupted. This can happen because of a blocked blood vessel, or a cerebral hemorrhage. The brain is extremely sensitive to the oxygen deprivation that follows lack of blood flow. Permanent brain damage occurs very quickly.

The American Stroke Association cites the following statistics:

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States.
Someone in the US suffers a brain attack every 53 seconds.
Approximately 600,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year.
Someone dies of a stroke every 3.3 minutes.
Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability.
Stroke costs the US between 30 and 40 billion healthcare dollars per year.1

1 American Stroke Association, "Stroke: A Speakers Outline." Dallas, TX, 2000.

2 Alberts, M.J., Hademenos, G., Latchaw, R.E., et. Al. "Recommendations for the Establishment of Primary Stroke Centers," JAMA, June 21, 2000, 283(23), pp. 3102-3109.

3 Ibid.

4 Ibid.