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Stroke
In a matter of seconds, it can steal your voice... your mobility... your independence. Every day, lives are turned upside-down... by stroke. It may not seem like a pressing women's health issue, but stroke kills twice as many women each year as breast cancer. And while the elderly are most at risk, doctors say it can affect women of all ages.
HOST V/O
Meet Valerie Greene... You can't help but notice her energetic glow... her zest for life.
It's unimaginable that Valerie is the survivor of a massive stroke.
NAT SOUND
"Hello... hey, how are you doing today? Good, good."
HOST V/O
It happened when she was just 31 - an athletic, up-and-coming partner in a successful financial planning firm, in Winter Park, Florida.
Valerie Greene
Stroke Survivor
"It was night and day. One day you're functioning at a very high level. You've got everything going for you. And the next thing, you're in a hospital bed, having someone take you to the bathroom, you can't speak, you're paralyzed. It is a horrible, horrible thing. You feel like you are locked in your body. You can't make it move and do things you're accustomed to. In my case, it was the most traumatizing, shocking experience I ever had to go through."
HOST V/O
The most common type of stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks one of the blood vessels serving the brain. Valerie's neurologist, Dr. Ira Goodman of Orlando Regional Medical Center, explains why this can cause so much damage so quickly.
Dr. Ira J. Goodman
Chief Of Neurology
Orlando Regional Med. Ctr.
"The brain needs blood. It supplies oxygen. It supplies sugar. If there's a blockage in the artery that supplies the sugar and the oxygen... the brain cells die. The brain cells are very, very, very sensitive. If a brain cell goes for four to five minutes can cause severe damage. By ten minutes, it's irreversible damage."
HOST V/O
The symptoms of stroke usually come on suddenly and vary depending on which part of the brain is affected. Common signs include numbness, tingling or loss of strength, especially on one side of the body... confusion or slurred speech... trouble seeing in one or both eyes... dizziness, loss of balance or difficulty walking... or a severe headache with no known cause.
HOST V/O
Months before Valerie's devastating stroke, she had several excruciating headaches accompanied by nausea and dizziness. Although she was initially misdiagnosed with migraines and early multiple sclerosis symptoms, she had actually experienced a minor stroke... a precursor of what was to come.
Valerie Greene
"At first I was incredibly depressed, which I think is perfectly normal, natural. I was not sure why this would happen to me. I was healthy, I was young, I was successful."
HOST V/O
Sometimes those at risk get a more subtle warning in the form of a transient ischemic attack or TIA. Often called a mini-stroke, a TIA is characterized by the same symptoms as stroke, but it's usually over after several minutes. That doesn't mean it should be ignored - a third of those who experience a TIA will go on to have a stroke.
Dr. Ira J. Goodman,
"If you have a TIA, you get to the emergency room immediately. Get worked up, because it's very, very possible the TIA can be a marker for the stroke. If you look in the right places, you might be able to prevent the stroke. And, again, it's much, much easier to prevent a stroke than to treat a stroke once its happened."
HOST V/O
One reason treatment is so difficult is that - like Valerie - many patients don't realize they're having a stroke, and they get to the hospital too late to receive the most dramatically effective therapy. The first three hours are critical, according to Miami-based Baptist Hospital's Director of Rehabilitation, Dr. Brad Aiken.
Dr. Brad Aiken
Director Of Rehabilitation
Baptist Hospital
"We're learning more about the acute treatment of the stroke. The biggest advance in recent years really has been in the use of TPA, which is a chemical used to dissolve blood clots that's also been used in the treatment of heart attacks. It's now being used in some cases in strokes, to try and dissolve the blood clot that's causing the stroke. To be effective, you have to get into the hospital it has to be used in the first few hours of the stroke."
HOST V/O
Only 10 percent of those who have a stroke recover completely, the rest face long-term disabilities ranging from mild to severe.
NAT SOUND
"Shift your weight over and advance your left leg."
HOST V/O
57-year-old Esther Kramer is learning to walk again after a stroke that affected her entire right side.
Esther Kramer
"I'm fighting it with everything I've got, hoping every day I wake up and it was just a bad dream or more and more movement comes back."
HOST V/O
Most stroke patients require extensive rehabilitation, including physical therapy...
NAT SOUND
"Take a deep breath....Ok"
HOST V/O
Speech therapy...
NAT SOUND
"How are you today?"
HOST V/O
And occupational therapy...
NAT SOUND
"Practice opening the medicine bottles..."
HOST V/O
...which helps patients learn to manage everyday tasks.
Dr. Brad Aiken
"The most important thing is to get the patient independent. Get that individual back to the point where they can take care of themselves, they can walk by themselves, get dressed, make meals, drive if they are able, which often they are."
NAT SOUND
"Out...and in, better"
HOST V/O
Because stroke is so difficult to treat, doctors emphasize the importance of prevention.
Dr. Ira J. Goodman
"Once a stroke happens, it happens. It's irreversible as far as brain cell death. The best thing we can do is prevent the brain cell death from starting to begin with and that's knowing the risk factors and taking appropriate precautions to minimize your risk factors."
HOST V/O
Some risk factors, like age and family history, are out of our control. But there are things that can be done.
Doctors say that exercising and maintaining a healthy weight can help prevent high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes - all of which increase the risk of stroke.
Smoking is also a factor. Women smokers, especially if they are over 35 and use birth control pills, have a much higher stroke risk than average.
But as in Valerie's case, women who have very few risk factors still need to react quickly to any stroke-related warning signs.
HOST V/O
When Valerie had her second stroke - the one that left her partially paralyzed and unable to speak - her doctors told her she might never walk again. But after several experimental therapies and a lot of hard work, she made an incredible recovery... and recently finished a half-marathon sponsored by the American Stroke Association.
Valerie Greene
"You cannot go back to who you were. But you can become somebody better if you want to. I did. I chose to get better."
HOST V/O
Valerie's story is not typical - her age gave her a strong advantage as she battled to regain her independence.
Dr. Ira J. Goodman
"Young people who have stroke are much more resilient, have much more reserve than older people who have stroke. She has made an amazing recovery."
HOST V/O
But no matter what your age, Valerie says a positive attitude can make all the difference. She wrote a book about her experience and hopes to inspire other stroke survivors to aim high.
Valerie Greene
"It's gonna be tough, but you have to persevere, keep moving forward and have faith. It does change, it will change, it can change and you can decide that."
HOST ON CAMERA TAG
Remember, most people have the best chance of recovery if they're treated within the first three hours of a stroke. If you suspect someone is having a stroke, ask them to smile, raise both arms and say a simple sentence. If they have trouble doing any of these simple tasks, call 911.
HOST VO
The American Stroke Association also states that more than 60% of stroke deaths in the United States occur in women.
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