Category: News

Non-modifiable Risk Factors

Age: As one gets older, the risk of stroke increases. After the age of 55, the chances of stroke double every ten years. Approximately two-thirds of strokes occur in patients over the age of 65.

Gender: Stroke is 25% more prevalent in men than women, yet women are more likely to die from stroke.

Race: The rate of stroke differs among races, which is most likely associated to genetic factors. Social factors, such as lifestyle and environment are also believed to contribute to these differences. African-Americans, Hispanics and Asian/Pacific Islanders are all at greater risk for strokes than Caucasians.

Heredity/Genetics: Having a family history of cerebrovascular disease (e.g. stroke) appears to be a contributing factor to stroke. Although you do not have control over your genetics or family history, positive steps can be made to lower your risk of stroke.If you have already experienced a stroke or TIA, you are at a higher risk of having a stroke in the future. Be sure to consult with your primary care physician to best decrease your risk of having another or new stroke. =

Transient Ischemic Attacks or TIAs: TIAs are mini warning strokes that produce stroke-like symptoms, but with no lasting damage. If you have had one or more TIAs, the likelihood that you will have a stroke is tenfold greater than that of someone of your age and gender who has not.

Heart Attack: A heart attack is a strong indicator that you could have a stroke sometime in the future. Leading an intensely heart healthy lifestyle after your attack can improve the odds.

Recognizing Symptoms

The first key to preventing stroke is to know the symptoms.

These include:

• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause
• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg – especially on one side of the body.

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There has never been a more critical time than now to donate. In the United States alone, stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability. However, unlike other diseases stroke is 80% preventable – which means that out of all the people we screen on any given day, if a hundred of them were directly at risk of stroke, 80 of them would likely never suffer the stroke if they made the appropriate lifestyle changes afterward. Any generous donation on your part directly contributes to the fight against stroke and helps to reduce its impact on our society at large, since stroke is so easily preventable through awareness and lifestyle changes. Please donate today and help us remove stroke from the list of top killers in the United States and across the world. Please see the statistics below to learn how we put donations to good use, or call us today to learn more about how your donations can help. (888) 794-9466

• By the 4th quarter of 2015, the donations we received allowed us to give free life-saving screenings to over 3,605 people, some of which may have been in immediate danger of stroke.

• The donations we receive fund our Foundation programs, allowing us to help stroke survivors through the Stroke Survivor Recovery Program. Through the S.M.A.R.T.® Program, your donations allowed us to bring primary stroke education to over 753 students in 2016 so far, potentially offsetting a multitude of strokes from occurring in the future.

• Your donations allow us to run our website which receives over 20,000 visitors monthly from across the world who learn about stroke through our education pages and call for support.

• Your donations also allow us to run our bi-weekly stroke support groups from several locations.

• Consult your Tax Accountant to learn about what types of write-offs you may be eligible for after donating.

Thank You for your support,

The Shadow of Stroke Campaign – a project of the RTH Stroke Foundation, unveiled its first official video this week. The video which clocks under 2 minutes, features a man torn between eating a pizza or salad for lunch, and tackles the Campaign’s goal of raising awareness on stroke risk factors in the aspect of unhealthy eating.  This is a must-watch and we recommend everyone share the video with at least 10 people. Raising awareness is the easiest way to combat stroke as it is 80% preventable, and the more people that watch this video will understand that some of their decisions can have an impact on their overall health. We hope this video will get people to become more conscious of their decisions.

Yesterday, the RTH Stroke Foundation had two successful seminars. Starting off in Downey at the Rio Hondo Event Center, the Foundation educated attendees on stroke awareness and recovery. Attendees received Carotid Artery and Blood Pressure screenings. The Foundation would like to thank PIH Health and also Lillian Johnson who gave her testimony on how our carotid artery screenings saved her life!

Afterwards, the Foundation ventured to Long Beach Petroleum Club and educated attendees on Stroke and Sleep Apnea. Attendees received Cholesterol/Glucose and Blood Pressure screenings. Thank you to our Health Screening Sponsor: L.A. Care Health Plan

Last week, the RTH Stroke Foundation unveiled its new ‘Shadow of Stroke Campaign’ which was created in an effort to spread vital awareness on stroke to the public. Many institutions and organizations have their own flyers and infographics circulating around the internet that spread stroke awareness and the Foundation felt that it was time to produce their own.

The mission of the RTH Stroke Foundation’s new campaign is to educate the public on the symptoms of stroke as well as the risk factors that increase an individual’s chance of having one. A secondary objective of the campaign is to create a novel characterization of stroke that people can associate the disease with. Instead of thinking of stroke as a single symptom or risk factor, the Foundation hopes to embody the disease in the character of a shadow that follows us in our daily lives in each and every decision we make. The shadow is symbolic of all the risk factors and symptoms as a whole.

The shadow of stroke takes the lives of 130,000 people in the United States each year, and the final aim of the campaign is to make the public understand that the shadow is 80% preventable and does not have to happen with appropriate exercise and thoughtful eating.

Currently, there are 3 infographics up on the Shadow of Stroke website to kick start the campaign, and more graphics as well as video content will be produced and added to the site in the coming months.

The RTH Stroke Foundation alone can not make this campaign successful however, it is from our great visitors, friends, and allies like you in the fight against stroke, that we need help from in spreading this information. The RTH Stroke Foundation encourages all of our visitors, friends, and more to download the infographics and share the message online or through print with everyone they know.

Together, we can make the Shadow of Stroke fade away forever.

Select here to go to the Shadow of Stroke website!

Earlier this year, Stroke Survivor Recovery Program (SSRP) Director Tiffanie Hylland, assisted a woman by the name of Lourdes who had previously suffered two strokes. The strokes ultimately left her in dire circumstances with her housing situation on the line as a result. Tiffanie not only counseled Lourdes on her journey to recovery, she was also able to resolve her housing situation and relocate Lourdes to an apartment that was more suitable to her needs as a stroke survivor. Watch the video above for an insight into Lourdes’ journey, and to learn how the SSRP Program can assist stroke survivors in our area.

In its continued effort to eradicate stroke as much as is humanly possible, the RTH Stroke Foundation made another substantial contribution to Keck School of Medicine of USC. The funds will be diverted to the Roxanna Todd Hodges Comprehensive Stroke Clinic and TIA Program of USC, where research is done in the area of stroke prevention and medicine. Aside from preventing strokes, and assisting survivors in the aftermath of stroke, the Foundation is proud to be a part of the medical enterprise focused on the research and treatment of strokes. To learn more about our partnership with USC, visit the Roxanna Todd Hodges Comprehensive Stroke Clinic page here.

The Foundation is sad to announce the passing of someone that was close to us from a cause that was all too familiar. Diane Manarino unexpectedly suffered a major hemorrhagic stroke last week which ultimately caused her passing on June 30th, 2016. Diane was merely 59 years of age at the time of her passing and is survived by her daughters, Natalie and Nicole Manarino, and by her loving siblings: brothers Tom Dowdalls and Jim Dowdalls, and her sister, Katy Dowdalls. A memorial fund has been established in her name. To find out more information on Diane and how you can help the family in these troubling times, visit the  https://rthfoundation.org/diane-manarino-fund/ page.

Today is the World Stroke Awareness Day, and we jumped on it a bit early with a large Seminar yesterday in Downey delivered by superstar neurologist Dr. Chui. We educated and screened around 200 people as well. Doing our best to reduce stroke in the community! To all our friends: If any day today is the day to get the FAST tool memorized as it is the easiest way of recognizing a stroke and saving a stroke sufferer’s life, as 80% of strokes are preventable, and most of them are survivable if treatment is delivered on time. Knowing FAST can expedite emergency services so clot-busting drugs and tools can be delivered to the sufferer.

FAST:

Face: Does one side of the face droop, is the face uneven?

Arm: Can the person lift both arms, can they walk and use both legs?

Speech: Is the person’s speech slurred, are the words unintelligible?

Time: Yes to any of the above symptoms? Call 911, every minute counts with stroke

Knowing fast, along with eating a more balanced diet coupled with regular exercise, has worked in tandem to reduce stroke as the number 4 killer to the number 5 killer in the U.S. But unfortunately, stroke remains the number 2 cause of death worldwide. Share this post, talk to your friends and family, spread knowledge about FAST and help to reduce the prevalence of stroke.