{"id":8440,"date":"2021-02-11T15:46:50","date_gmt":"2021-02-11T23:46:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.brainstreams.ca\/?p=8440"},"modified":"2025-06-25T23:43:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-26T06:43:15","slug":"stroke-awareness-saves-lives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/messageinabottle.ca\/bcbia\/stroke-awareness-saves-lives\/","title":{"rendered":"Stroke Awareness Saves Lives"},"content":{"rendered":"

Between the Lines: Stories of Brain Injury Survivors – (Part 2 of 6)<\/span><\/h2>\n

This is the second post in <\/span><\/i>Between the Lines: Stories of Brain Injury Survivors<\/span>. If you missed the beginning of Tony\u2019s Journey, click here<\/a> to read it.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\"lightingEvery year, there are over 62,000 new strokes in Canada. And every year, 14,000 Canadians die from stroke. <\/span>Tony is one of the survivors–and it\u2019s thanks to his wife, Ann-Marie, for taking action.<\/span><\/p>\n

One Friday night in 2009, Tony and his wife were going through their regular routine, chatting with each other while getting ready for bed. Somewhere along the conversation, Ann-Marie noticed that Tony\u2019s speech had become difficult to understand. She looked at him strangely, and asked him what he was trying to say. Tony didn\u2019t understand what her deal was; he felt like he was speaking the way he always did. That\u2019s because when you\u2019re having a stroke, it can be difficult to realize what\u2019s happening right away. It was only after Ann-Marie\u2019s continued concern, and her decision to call 911, that he realized something was very, very wrong.<\/span><\/p>\n

That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important for <\/span>everyone<\/span><\/i> to understand the signs of a stroke. If Ann-Marie hadn\u2019t known what to do, Tony might have died that night.<\/span><\/p>\n

Luckily, she recognized that Tony was in danger. She knew he needed to go to the hospital and that the situation was serious, and she did the right thing by calling 911.<\/span><\/p>\n

Learn to recognize the signs of a stroke<\/h2>\n

One day, you might be called upon to do the same. Not sure what the signs of a stroke are? There\u2019s no time like the present to learn! <\/span>From the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada<\/span><\/a>, here\u2019s the FAST method for identifying a stroke:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Of course, there\u2019s always more to learn. <\/span>This fascinating and eye-opening TED Talk<\/span><\/a> by neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor goes into what it\u2019s like to have a stroke, what it means to have a stroke, and how having a stroke has impacted her own life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Find Stroke Resources<\/h2>\n

Do you know a stroke survivor, or are a stroke survivor yourself? We\u2019ve collected some resources that Tony and his family found useful, and you might too:<\/span><\/p>\n