When Martha’s husband squeezed her hand, she could not feel it. In fact, she had no feeling on her left side and had lost vision in her left eye. Martha knew something was wrong and she tried desperately to tell her husband. He knew that his wife was trying to tell him something, but she wasn't making much sense. Martha had suffered a stroke!

Of the 600,000 people who will have a stroke each year, 160,000 of them will die. Someone has a stroke every 53 seconds in the United States and every 3.3 seconds someone dies of a stroke. More men than women have strokes, but more women than men die of stroke. Among those who will survive, 40 percent will become moderately or severely disabled, and 10 percent will require care in a nursing home or other long-term facility. Many people think that a stroke occurs only in elderly people, but 28 percent of strokes occur in people younger than age 65. Stroke is the third leading cause of death, behind heart disease and cancer.

Fortunately, Martha’s husband immediately called 911 and she arrived at The Medical Center in enough time to benefit from state-of-the-art treatment. Martha fully recovered and suffered none of the devastating disabilities that often result from a stroke.

Unfortunately, Martha’s story is unusual because her husband sought prompt medical attention. Most stroke victims do not recognize that they are having a stroke. Often, stroke victims have the best chance if someone around them recognizes the symptoms and calls 911 quickly. A recent study showed that 40 percent of stroke victims were convinced by family members or a friend to seek help. The National Stroke Association reports that 42 percent of stroke victims wait 13-24 hours on average before seeking medical care because they do not recognize the symptoms.

Overall public awareness of stroke, its symptoms and treatment, remains very low. Two-thirds of Americans are unaware of the importance of treating stroke victims within the first few hours of symptoms. A major stroke may be prevented or the severity of a stroke reduced by seeking urgent medical attention. Every minute counts!