Acting F.A.S.T

Strokes.  Never really expected just like heart attacks.  That’s why sometimes their called a “brain attack".  When I was younger, my grandpa had a stroke and I had no clue what that was or why half of his body had just stopped working after he left the hospital.  As my education advanced, I then realized that the effects of strokes could be minor to severe.   With the outlook depending on how much brain tissue is damaged, which body functions have been affects, and how quickly it got treated.  For my grandma, the whole left side of his body had stopped working.  From his leg to the right side of his mouth, no movement was shown.  For years, he did rehab daily and I didn’t quite understand what had happened and why he couldn't just get better.  Now looking back, I realize that he had a hemorrhagic stroke. A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blocked vessel bursts open causing blood to leak to the brain. For him, his right side of his brain had gotten damaged enough to not be able to control the left side of his body since our brains are contralateral.  

When my aunts had found him, I remember that he was talking to people who he hadn't seen in years.  He was confused about his location and was acting like a drunken person.  For people having a stroke, these are clear signs that something is wrong.  They will have changes occurring to their five senses as well as to their balance and coordination. May is national stroke awareness month.  Over 795,000 people will have strokes in the US.  Every minute that goes by, caused more brain damage.  By acting F.A.S.T., strokes can be caught quicker and can hopefully reduce the risk of brain damage.