Stroke survivor tells her story during American Stroke Month
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — May is American Stroke Month which aims to raise awareness of the second leading cause of death, according to the World Health Organization.
Strokes can happen to anyone at any age. Although strokes are common among adults around 55 years old, the American Heart Association reported strokes are increasing among those 49 and younger.
“A stroke doesn’t have an age,” Rosemary Wade, a stroke survivor said. “It doesn’t matter what age you are. It can hit anybody at any time.”
Wade was a healthy working mom – or so she thought. Then, she experienced a stroke at just 34 years old.
“I had an excruciating headache in the middle of my head,” Wade said. “My face [was] swollen; my eye was swollen shut on the right side of my face.”
Wade went to the hospital to get a steroid shot so she could quickly return to work. When she arrived she was limping, slurring her words, and when the doctor asked her to squeeze his hand, she couldn’t.
“I was like ‘I’m having an allergic reaction’, that’s all I thought,” Wade said. “Never in a million years did I think at 34 I’d be having a stroke.”
Thankfully, Wade was able to receive immediate treatment.
“I’m very blessed and very thankful to God that I am here because it could’ve been so much different because you only have a 3-hour window when you have a stroke,” Wade said.
Lifestyle choices can increase your risk for stroke in the same way that healthy behaviors can lower your risk for stroke.
There are steps you can take to lower your risk of stroke. This includes maintaining a healthy diet and weight, being physically active, limiting drinking and smoking, and monitoring your health including medical conditions like cholesterol, blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease.
Risk factors for stroke include high cholesterol and blood pressure, age, obesity, heart disease, diabetes, family history, and a prior stroke. Talk with your healthcare provider about making changes to your lifestyle.
There are ways you can spot a stroke like using the phrase F.A.S.T:
Face: Drooping
Arm: Weakness or numbness
Speech: Slurred or difficulty speaking
Time: Call 9-1-1
For more stroke information, visit the American Stroke Association or CDC’s websites.
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