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The Foundation’s S.M.A.R.T.® and Seminar Programs are off to a good start and already making significant gains in primary stroke education and prevention in the first quarter of 2017. So far, 12 different seminars have been conducted across Los Angeles and Orange County, resulting in the education of 605 people, 457 of which were screened for stroke risk.

S.M.A.R.T.® has been working heavily as well, and already four different schools have partnered with the program to bring stroke education to over 500 students in Biomed and Health Classes. On Tuesday March 7, 2017, Cheryl Ming gave her testimony as a stroke survivor to over a hundred students in Mrs. Bochove and Mr. Davenport’s Biomedical classes at Warren High School in Downey. Cheryl had been the victim of a brain stem stroke in 2001 which left her with a very debilitating condition known as Locked-In-Syndrome, in which the sufferer becomes physically trapped by their body due to the damage of the Pons in the brain stem. With much work, Cheryl was able to overcome her condition and now moves and speaks and is the holder of over 3 degrees including a Master’s in Public Health. Cheryl is currently an intern teaching Health and Human Sexuality at Long Beach City College and has hopes of landing a job where she can use her talents. In her spare time she likes to spend time with her two children, and the students at Warren High were captivated by her powerful testimony. See the pictures below of Mr. Davenport’s class where Cheryl and the S.M.A.R.T.® Staff presented to the students.

(Reposted From Facebook) Our foundation was honored to have been a part of the 3rd Annual Skid Row Carnival of Love this Saturday where we educated THOUSANDS of people in this homeless community on stroke prevention. Thank you to Keck Medicine of USC for allowing us to join you and provide hundreds of free blood pressure screenings.

Music filled the streets, along with carnival games, face painting, clowns, and many “FREE HUGS!”. Additionally, so many amazing local organizations came together to provide medical, legal, and hygiene assistance; including: feet washing, mobile showers, barbershops/hair cuts, counseling, blood pressure and glucose screenings, HIV and STD checks, insurance companies, legal companies, and so many more! Starbucks even hired 3 people!

Free hygiene bags were passed out to every attendee, along with thousands of donated items including: clothes, socks, shoes, blankets, strollers, toys, feminine products, and so much more. Food trucks were also providing free food and water.

A HUGE thank you to Wayfarer Entertainment and Justin Baldoni for organizing this event. It truly was a beautiful day filled with love, support, and education.

This week, the RTH Stroke Foundation kicked off its first set of seminars for the year. The first Seminar was delivered at Anaheim High School on Tuesday to the parents of students that went through our S.M.A.R.T.® Program. The second seminar on Depression and Stroke was delivered in Reseda to the community at the Housing Authority. There will be many more seminars in the coming weeks and months, see our events calendar for a list of these seminars and register online or call us today.

Our Anaheim Seminar in partnership with Anaheim High School, delivered to the parents of S.M.A.R.T.® students by UCI’s Dana Stradling and translated into Spanish by our newest member of the team, Esmeralda Garcia.

Our Reseda Seminar in partnership with the Housing Authority, delivered by President Deborah Massaglia.

A man whose life was saved during a carotid artery screening at our previous seminar in Reseda. The technician discovered a major blockage in his carotid and the man underwent surgery soon after to have it removed.

Doctors have begun to use electrodes to “stimulate” areas of the brain affected by strokes. The new treatment, which was first tested on a patient back in December has already brought about improvement in her previously paralyzed arm. The patient, Judy Slater was left paralyzed on her left side from a stroke she suffered last May and said the Deep Brain Stimulation treatment she received has already led to “improvements” and she can now “move her arm to about shoulder length” according to the article published by TIME.

Doctors are optimistic that this new form of treatment coupled with physical therapy will restore some, if not most motor-function lost during strokes. It was not clear as to when the treatment will be streamlined, as it is still in the developmental phase, but if made available to the public, it could revolutionize post stroke recovery.

To see the full article by TIME, select here.

In the spring of 2012, the RTH Stroke Foundation joined forces with the renowned Keck Medical Center of USC to battle stroke by creating the Roxanna Todd Hodges Comprehensive Stroke Clinic and the Roxanna Todd Hodges Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) Program. There are more than 2,600 stroke-related visits annually to the Keck Medical Center. The stroke clinic provides a multidisciplinary approach to the diagnosis, treatment and care of patients experiencing stroke or acute neurological events and related conditions. The clinic’s activities will include outpatient care, inpatient care and research.

The Roxanna Todd Hodges TIA Program will focus on the development of enhanced diagnostic and treatment modalities for preventing stroke. Commonly known as a “mini-stroke,” a transient ischemic attack refers to the temporary disturbance of the blood supply to the brain, which often results in a sudden and brief reduction in brain function.

There are over 500,000 evaluations for TIA per year in the United States, although the true incidence is not known because most are never reported. TIA is an early warning of an impending stroke because it reflects an ongoing process such as an unstable artery plaque or heart rhythm.

“I am so proud and grateful to the Keck School of Medicine of USC for this opportunity,” Deborah Massaglia, president of the Roxanna Todd Hodges foundation said.

(Re-posted From www.outsmartstroke.org)

This weekend, the transitional Out S.M.A.R.T.® Stroke Foundation still operating as RTH, visited Anaheim High School to support their 1st Annual Bike-A-Thon. Anaheim High School was one of the first schools to partner with the S.M.A.R.T.® Program and we were happy to be there to support their event. The event was held Saturday, April 8, 2017 and dozens of children and their parents came out to participate in the bicycle race and visit the informational area where the Out S.M.A.R.T. Stroke Team and other vendors were posted. During the event, we passed out information on stroke, provided water, gifted bags, and held a raffle in which one lucky contestant won 4 Anaheim Angels Diamond Club Tickets. The Foundation hopes to be partnering with institutions to assist in more events like these in the future.

-Out S.M.A.R.T.® Stroke Team

Prior Stroke Or TIA

The risk of stroke for someone who has already had one is many times that of a person who has not. Transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) are “warning strokes” that produce stroke-like symptoms but no lasting damage. TIAs are strong predictors of stroke. A person who’s had one or more TIAs is almost 10 times more likely to have a stroke than someone of the same age and sex who hasn’t. Recognizing and treating TIAs can reduce your risk of a major stroke. TIA should be considered a medical emergency and followed up immediately with a healthcare professional.

© 2017 Copyright – RTH Stroke Foundation

Stroke Warning Signs

Be looking for the following stroke warning signs:

• Sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• 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 headaches with no known cause (for hemorrhagic stroke)

If you or someone you know develops any of the warning signs listed above, it is very important to receive emergency help immediately. Call 9-1-1 right away even if the symptoms resolve and you feel better. Contact the emergency responders for urgent transportation to the closest emergency medical facility. By calling 9-1-1 you will receive the fastest emergency care and more likely be eligible for new stroke treatments.

© Copyright – RTH Stroke Foundation – Enfold Theme by Kriesi

S.M.A.R.T.® (Students learning about stroke, Making healthy lifestyle choices, Aware of Risk factors, Teaching others stroke is 80% preventable), a K-12 primary stroke education program of the RTH Stroke Foundation is set to begin its fall teaching rounds across Orange and Los Angeles Counties tomorrow. S.M.A.R.T.® will be venturing into Laguna Hills High School, Anaheim High School, Downey High School, and Long Beach High School from October to December in an effort to deliver lifesaving information about stroke to scores of students and their parents. Already at over 700 students in two different high schools educated this year, S.M.A.R.T.® is set to double down this fall by exceeding that number, potentially offsetting a multitude of strokes from occurring through education and promoting of healthy lifestyles.  For more information on S.M.A.R.T.®, visit its page in the education tab of our website.

The holidays are a time of enjoyment and celebration for many, but there are some underlying dangers associated with the period from Thanksgiving to New Years in regards to heart-related illness. A 5% spike in strokes and heart attacks around the holidays has been reported by a 2004 study in the journal Circulation. The source of the spike was found to be attributed to overindulgence on food and alcohol as well as the added stress that some can experience during the holidays.

Overindulgence on holiday foods can flood the vascular system with loads of sodium, sugars, and fats that lead to an increase in emergency room visits around the holidays. Coupled with this, is the condition known as “Holiday Heart” which develops from excessive drinking and can cause the heart to fibrillate unnaturally for a brief period thus leading to an increase in heart attacks and ischemic, clot strokes.

Tips to avoid being apart of the 5% spike in stroke and heart attacks experienced around this time of year can be found in portioning your foods, limiting yourself to 1 alcoholic beverage for women and 2 for men at holiday events, and reducing stress by exercising and getting enough sleep.

We here at the Foundation wish everyone a great holiday season and ask our visitors to remain aware of the basic signs and symptoms of stroke since there is an increase this time of year:

• Sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• 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 headaches with no known cause (for hemorrhagic stroke)

And when a stroke happens get BUSY.

• B = Body: Ask the person to raise their arms. Does one drift down? Is one arm weak or numb?
• U = Uneven: Check to see if the person’s face is uneven and slanted on one side.
• S = Speech: Check their speech and ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. Does it sound strange or slurred?
• Y = Yes to any of these signs? Get BUSY and call 911, every minute counts with stroke!