F.A.S.T. Thinking Helped Lane Save His Mom

Editor’s note: Stroke awareness is always important, and there’s extra emphasis on spreading the word in May, which is American Stroke Month. For instance, a survey released Monday showed that one-third of of U.S. adults have had symptoms consistent with a mini-stroke, but only 3 percent called 911 for help. Yet while facts and statistics make the point quite persuasively, the message is perhaps best told through the story of Lane and Flo Matte. Flo Matte is a Friday morning regular at the Impressions Hair Salon in Moss Bluff, Louisiana. It’s a great chance to get her hair done and to catch up on all the happenings around town. On the last Friday of January, she was scheduled to have foot surgery. That shook up her routine. She went to the salon on a Thursday afternoon instead. Then she did something even more unusual: In the middle of her appointment, she called her son, Lane. “Can you come pick me up?” she said. “I don’t feel good.” The words didn’t sound right to Lane. They seemed slurred, as if she was calling from the dentist’s office with her mouth packed in gauze. Immediately, a voice played in Lane’s head. The voice of an American Stroke Association public service announcement about how to spot a stroke “F.A.S.T.” The commercial is on heavy rotation at Super Talk 1400 out of Lake Charles, the conservative talk radio station Lane listens to all day, every weekday. Lane knew that speech difficulty is the S in the acronym F.A.S.T. He ...
Source: Healthy Living - The Huffington Post - Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news