Shelia's stroke warning!

One of our supervisors suffered a "mini stroke" yesterday here at work. He didn't think it was anything to worry about but I remembered one of the things from Shelia's list and asked him to stick out his tongue...it was crooked!  I told my boss and his direct boss about the list and what the crooked tongue meant. They took him to the hospital and they confirmed that he had had a stroke. They are currently running additional tests on him in the hospital. The really ironic thing is...he was in my office to change the beneficiary on his life insurance policy from his (now)ex-wife. I had just finished telling him that he could not use the policy as long as I work here because I don't like filing death claims. It wasn't 5 minutes later that he said his arm was numb. At first I thought he was picking back at me because of my remark. His boss just happened to be in our office too. Thank you for posting that list. Hopefully he will be alright thanks to that simple information that led us to get him help so quickly. If it had been up to him, he would have gone back to work.

Susan, If that list saves one life, than it has done it's job!  I know when I read the list I thought "yeah yeah yeah I know this"  It is truely good to have a refresher on these things.  Glad you were able to help him. Beth

Susan,         It is truly amazing how God works, I came so close to not posting that e-mail, but something told me to do it, because you never know!!!  Now we know!!!  I will keep him in my prayers and I am so glad that you were there to help get him the help he needed.

I have decided to post this e-mail again, for any of those that did not "Really" read it the first time!!! STROKE IDENTIFICATION: During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) and that she had 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 6:00 pm, Ingrid passed away.) 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. Some don't die. They end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead. It only takes a minute to read this... 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 Thank God for the sense to remember the "3" steps, STR . 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. 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 to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (i.e. . . 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, call 911 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

My goodness! That list may have saved the man's life!  Quick thinking! Great job, and I am sure he appreciates the list and your willingness to share it in light of all that happened... my goodness we never know what each day may bring.