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Weather conditions again mandated that we held an all-virtual meeting, with President Ken calling on Keith Olson to offer our invocation from his slightly warmer location in Arizona. Guy Olson from the Sunrise Club, visiting Keith, was also with us. Zack Stach thanked those that joined him at United Way the prior day to stuff bags: Ken Harty, Dean Monke, Steve Leitte and Dave Johnson. This writer asked if there were any volunteers who could do the Rounds on March 22 and 29th as I will be gone (lessons on the simple procedure to post on ClubRunner before then are part of the deal), and no one has yet stepped forward. Keith Olson told us he will be back with us in person on March 15th and marked off his brag and fine card for making that pronouncement. Zack Stach became a first-time proud grandpa the prior Friday and Wally Cole joined in the bragging as a new great step-grandfather. Zack then gave a very informative program on stroke awareness with the key message being to act fast -- waiting to see if the symptoms go away is not an option. To remember the symptoms, he gave us an acronym: BE FAST, which stands for Balance, Eyes, Face (usually only side of a face is impacted), Arms (weakness, tingling or numbness), Speech and Time. Often times the head will be very sensitive and he said that if it is uncomfortable to rub on the top of the head, scalp or neck, that can be a stroke indicator. Manageable risk factors include high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, high cholesterol, smoking, lack of physical activity, obesity and diabetes. A person of any age can have a stroke, with one in five people who suffer a stroke under the age of 55. More women have strokes than men and more women die from stroke than breast cancer every year. Family history also has a huge impact on the likelihood of suffering a stroke. Stokes occur when blood vessels in the brain either become blocked or burst. The former is called an ischemic stroke and accounts for 87% of all cases; the latter is a hemorrhagic stroke where an artery ruptures and causes swelling, pressure and damage to the brain. 800,000 Americans suffer a stroke every year. Minnesota has one of the lower incident rates in the country, with 1.9% of the population having a stroke, while Alabama has the highest rate at 4.3%. The thought of taking aspirin if you are suffering a stroke has been discredited. If you believe someone is suffering a stroke, it is best to keep them awake, keep them talking and stroke or touch them. Zack also recommended that you shouldn't try to drive a person to the hospital if you think they are suffering a stroke and stated it is better to call 911. |
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