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World Stroke Day for me

World Stroke Day is observed on October 29.
brain scan








I didn’t really think about strokes until I had mine. My two strokes were caused by a carotid dissection because of a genetic condition called fibromuscular dysplasia.

As a result I have conditions called aphasia and apraxia. I am plagued with routine throbbing headaches, mental and physical exhaustion and “brain fog” when I do too much.

The bottom line is 20% of my brain is dead. I was 50 years old and in good health.



This photo shows my brain scan. The white sections on my brain shows dead brain tissue.

But brain fogI really want to stress one of the lucky ones.  I am leading a productive and happy life despite it all. 

Here are some sobering strokes statistics:

Stroke kills about 140,000 Americans each year—that’s 1 out of every 20 deaths.

Someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds. 

Every 4 minutes, someone dies of stroke.

Every year, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke. 

About 610,000 of these are first or new strokes.

About 185,00 strokes—nearly 1 of 4—are in people who have had a previous stroke.

About 87% of all strokes are ischemic strokes, in which blood flow to the brain is blocked.




Stroke costs the United States an estimated $34 billion each year.


This total includes the cost of health care services, medicines to treat stroke, and missed days of work.

Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability. bEFAST

Stroke reduces mobility in more than half of stroke survivors age 65 and over.

However, there has been a rise out of younger people having strokes mainly because of energy drinks. 

And finally, heed the warning signs of strokes: “BEFAST.”

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