The Heart and Stroke Foundation is launching a new campaign to teach Canadians, young and old, how to quickly recognize the signs of someone having a stroke.
The campaign, called FAST, asks the public to learn the acronym, which organizers say could help save someones life:
Simplified, the messaging that people will see and will hopefully help people remember more about stroke, said Ian Joiner, of the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
The non-profit foundation said they are launching the multimedia, multilingual campaign in order to reach as much of the Canadian population as possible. Its also aimed at younger people, as strokes among 20-40 year olds is on the rise.
At 38, Patrice Lindsay is a stroke survivor. It happened, she said, when she was rocking her two-year-old to sleep.
My husband came running up the stairs and I kept trying to say, stroke, stroke.
Lindsay said had all the typical symptoms: I had the facial droop, I wasnt able to properly speak, said Lindsay, who is a nurse who studied emergency response and strokes.
When she lifted her left arm with her right hand, it would fall to her side if she released it.
Knowing the signs, Lindsay was at a stroke centre receiving treatment within minutes.
Receiving treatment quickly is critical, physicians say, but many are uncertain of when to act.
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Think 'FAST': New campaign helps Canadians recognize signs of stroke