Case study

A mass e-mail message that has been widely circulated recently describes a case in which a woman stumbled and fell at a backyard barbecue. According to the author of the e-mail who was close friends with the hosts of the party, the woman who had fallen assured everyone that she was fine and said she had tripped over a brick because of her new shoes. Her friends cleaned her up and prepared a new plate of food for her. According to accounts from the party, she appeared a bit shaken up, but proceeded to enjoy herself the rest of the evening. In the wee hours of the morning, her husband called a close relative of the e-mail author to say that his wife had been taken to the hospital. Later in the day, she died.

The woman had suffered a stroke at the party. The intent of the e-mail was to tell readers that if someone at the party had known to ask her the three questions listed above, the stroke victim may still be with us.

Resources

Many organizations, some national and others local, focus on stroke awareness and helping stroke victims and their friends and family. Visit these sites to learn more about strokes, mini-strokes, risk factors, statistics, and treatments.

American Stroke Association (www.strokeassociation.org)

National Stroke Association (www.stroke.org)

Stroke Awareness (www.strokeawareness.org)

Stroke Awareness Foundation (www.strokeinfo.org)

Stroke Awareness of Everyone, SAFE (www.strokesafe.org)

Information contained in this article was provided through the Safety & Health Committee of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association.