A few days ago Shira and I were shocked and deeply saddened to learn that one of our healthy, active, 30 year old, friends had a stroke. Yes, you read that right - a stroke. He woke up in the morning and apparently was struggling to do basic cognitive tasks, like setting the alarm and recalling his schedule of meetings.
He ended up leaving the office and heading to the doctor more out of frustration than anything else. By the afternoon, they had confirmed he had a stroke.
There was apparently no paralysis involved, so he didn't experience some of the more common signs of stroke, such as weakness on one side.
But even if he had, who would have imagined that this healthy guy could be having a stroke?
Our friend is now on the road to recovery, and they expect him to make a fully recovery. It's not going to be an easy path, but I know that his family, friends and faith our strong, and if anyone can beat this, it's him.
The lessons from this episode are the ones you'd expect:
- It's important to learn the signs of a stroke, such as: trouble walking, weakness on one side, trouble seeing and trouble speaking. And understand that stroke doesn't discriminate based on age, gender or any other criteria.
- I know its cliche, but it has to be said: appreciate that every day, every minute, every second is a gift, and that there are no guarantees in life. Make every moment count, because, when it comes down to it, life is incredibly fragile.
My urge to take action found me the National Stroke Association and their donation form.
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