How can you recognize a stroke? The common symptoms of a stroke are: sudden weakness/ numbness in the face, arms or legs, particularly on one side of the body; loss of speech or trouble understanding speech; sudden unexplained memory loss; double vision, dimness or loss of vision in one eye; sudden, severe headache or dizziness, loss of balance. Recognition of these symptoms is the key. Simply remember... F.A.S.T.

Face, ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?

Arms, ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

Speech, ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. Are the words slurred? Can they repeat the sentence correctly? Time, if the person shows any

of the above described symptoms, call 911 or get to the hospital fast.

Strokes occur when a blood vessel feeding the brain bursts or is clogged, causing a disruption in the blood flow to the brain. Stroke is the third leading killer in the United States.

For more information go to www.stroke.org or www.strokeassociation. org.