My Community Service Initiative is centered around stroke awareness and teaching people how to identify the signs of a stroke. In 2018, my step-dad, Trent, had a series of multiple major strokes. We couldn’t recognize the signs at the time, but looking back it’s clear how many signs he was exhibiting. BE FAST is an acronym that can help you remember the signs of a stroke. It stands for:
B - Balance impaired
E - Eyes blurred, vision crossed or doubled
F - Face drooping on one side
A - Arms heavy and unable to lift
S - Speech slurred
T - Time is of the essence, call 911 immediately if you’re experiencing any of these
symptoms
This acronym is incredibly important, but you might be wondering why? As someone who’s had multiple family members suffer from a stroke, it’s very clear to me why it’s important. That being said, if you don’t know about strokes or you don’t know anyone who has had one, it can be unclear. The fact of the matter is, anyone can have a stroke.
Every 40 seconds someone has a stroke. In the time that you can watch a 30 minute episode of your favorite sitcom, 45 people will have had a stroke across the United States. Of those 45 people, 15% - or around 7 people - will be under the age of 50. It’s a very common misconception that strokes only happen to old people who have preexisting health conditions, when in fact anyone of any age with any health conditions (or lack thereof) can have a stroke. Strokes are the 2nd leading cause of death in the United States, and that can largely be attributed to the fact that people don’t know how to identify the signs.
Throughout my time advocating for stroke awareness, I have met dozens of stroke survivors, many of whom had no idea how to identify the signs prior to their first stroke. My step-dad, Trent, has had a total of three major strokes. Prior to his first, we had no idea how to identify the signs, but knowing BE FAST was instrumental in identifying Trent’s second and third strokes. It was my mother who recognized the signs, and advocated for him to get the proper medical treatment. I’ve built my Community Service Initiative around sharing Trent’s story and teaching people how to identify the signs, because it is so common for signs of a stroke to be misidentified.
Again, I return to the question, why should you care? The answer: because you or a loved one at any age could have a stroke, and knowing BE FAST could literally save a life.
If you want to stay up to date on the work that I’m doing with my CSI, you can find me at @missaddisoncountyvt on Instagram. I’ve got some very exciting things coming down the pike, and I can’t wait to share them all with you!!
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