Stroke Won’t Wait. Neither Should You.

Learn how you can help save a life

Stacy Quinn, Deputy Director, Consumer Health Internal Communications, Bayer U.S.

May is stroke awareness month. Three years ago, May was just like any month to me. But now, I pause. I reflect. I advocate. Why? Because one in five women will have a stroke in her lifetime, and I learned that statistic from first-hand experience. I’m the one in five.

Flashback to December 27, 2016. The day started like any other. As soon as I got off the subway, I dashed into my favorite Starbucks across the street from my job in New York City. I asked for a shot of espresso in my coffee hoping the extra dose of caffeine would take the edge off an agonizing headache.

I had a busy day ahead of me, and I wasn’t going to let what eventually grew into the worst headache of my life keep me from crossing things off my to-do list. While I was determined to stay the course, I was struggling. My head was pounding. My stomach was upset. My vision was a little blurry. But I kept going.

Emails sent. Check.

Project completed. Check.

Prepare for meeting with new boss. Check.

Say, what? You’re slurring your words.

A stroke can happen to anyone at any time, including meetings at work.

Next on the list: Meet with my boss. As I updated her on my projects, I lost my speech. My words were no longer words — coming out as garbled babble.

Hearing myself, I paused, took a deep breath and started speaking again. For the first time since I was a little girl, I couldn’t string together a sentence. I took another pause, closed my eyes and took another deep breath. A few seconds later, my speech returned to normal.

The experience was surreal, and it left me shaken up. At the time, I rationalized all of this as a side effect of the bad headache and stress. So I discounted the setback, got back to business and charged ahead through the headache.

Ten days later, the headache persisted and I finally got help. After getting an MRI at the suggestion of a very cautious neurologist, I learned that the headache and my speaking problem a few days earlier were the result of a transient ischemic attack (TIA), also known as a mini-stroke. The doctor called to tell me to get to the hospital ASAP because I was going to have a stroke.

What was the cause of my TIA? My left carotid artery, one of the main pathways delivering blood from my heart to brain, had dissected, creating a 90% blockage. During a carotid artery dissection, the interior walls collapse, obstructing blood flow. Slurred speech is a symptom of stroke, and I should have immediately gone to the hospital. Because I waited so long to get help, I was just hours away from a stroke that could have killed me or caused long-term health complications.

Stroke affects someone in the U.S. every 40 seconds

I never thought stroke was something that could happen to me. Why? I’m a young woman, eat healthy and exercise, and keep a close eye on my cholesterol and blood pressure.

Stacy volunteers with Go Red For Women to raise awareness of stroke and funds for research.

While some people are at greater risk for stroke than others, stroke can happen to anyone, at any time. According to the American Stroke Association, someone — women, men, young people and babies — in the U.S. has a stroke every 40 seconds. Research also indicates that stroke is becoming increasingly more common in younger people and women.

The good news is that 80% of strokes are treatable and preventable.

Here’s the bad news. The American Stroke Association estimates that 1 out 10 Americans don’t know the stroke symptoms.

Too many people, including me, seek help long after they believe they’ve had a stroke. This mistake increases the odds of serious complications or death. Every second counts with stroke. Nearly 2 million brain cells die each minute a stroke remains untreated. If you get help immediately, doctors can help in a variety of ways, including administering clot-busting medications and stent retrievers.

Knowing the symptoms of stroke isn’t complicated. In fact, there’s is an easy way to remember the most common symptoms of stroke. It’s called FAST. If you experience any one of these symptoms — facial droopiness, weakness or problems in an arm, slur your speech or have difficulty talking — don’t waste any time call 911. Also, if you ever have the “worst headache of your life” you should seek medical attention immediately.

Will you do me a FAST favor?

We need to raise more awareness of stroke symptoms to help save lives. So I urge you to share this story with just one person today. It’s easy to do. Post it on FaceBook. Tweet it to your followers. Mention it during a conversation with a colleague, friend or family member. You could help save a life.

For more information, visit the American Stroke Association’s web site.

Stacy Quinn is a Survivor Ambassador for Go Red For Women.