•Every 45 seconds someone in America has a stroke.
•In one second 32,000 brain cells die, in 59 seconds more an ischemic stroke will have killed 1.9 million brain cells.
•About 700,000 Americans will have a new or recurrent stroke this year and over 163,000 of them will die (making it the third leading cause of death in the USA).
•There are approximately 266,000 stroke survivors with permanent disabilities.
•There will be approximately 30,000 new permanent admissions to nursing homes this year.
•There are over 4 million stroke survivors today.
•Fewer than one in five Americans can identify even one stroke symptom.
•The economic impact of stroke is estimated to cost $40-$70 billion per year.
•A stroke can be devastating, that's why it's so important to minimize your risk.
Two weeks ago I was working with a group of second grade students on measurement when I began to hear the sound of my phone vibrating in my purse. I knew this was highly unusual because on a typical day my phone may not ring at all. It continued to vibrate again and again, so I decided I probably needed to check to see who was calling. When I looked at the screen, I saw my sister's name and I knew something bad must have happened. She is also a very busy teacher, and I knew that unless there was an emergency she would never call me at this time of day. I was able to get in touch with her, and she proceded to tell me that my dad had fallen and apparently had a stroke while visiting her family in Richmond, VA. She quickly reassured me that he was doing as well as could be expected, but she wanted to let me know the situation. Immediately, I went into crisis mode. I am a fixer, a problem solver a let's work this out kind of person. I don't procrastinate. I don't usually ask for help. I don't second guess. I just dive in 100% and ask questions later. Sometimes, this life function works for me. I am very efficient and decisive, and in my teaching job those are things that help me lead my students to academic success. However, when you are a "doer" and you are in a situation when you can't "do" anything, you feel completely helpless. I did cry out to God to please protect my daddy, but I still felt like I needed to "do" something to make the situation better. Ultimately, I ended up on a plane to Richmond on Saturday morning, and I was able to stay for 3 days while he was in ICU. Daddy made very good progress and was quickly transferred to a regular room. I had to head back home for work, but I called everyday to check in. Due to complications with his insurance (Humana...if you or your loved ones have this...CHANGE NOW!), it took us one week to get all of the necessary approvals to get him moved to a rehabilitation center in Florence. We were able to go visit him this past weekend, and I am sure we will be making a lot of trip over the upcoming weeks to see him. He will have to go through a lot on intensive therapy to regain the strength in his left side, but he is a very determined person and I think he will make steady progress. This morning I was able to go to church for the first time in two weeks. The moment I sat down in the pew, I felt a wave of emotions. We have had so many dear friends call, bring food and check on us during this ordeal. I truly felt God's love. When I opened my Bible a card fell out that Madeleine had given me the Sunday before all of this happened. As a first grader, she has now started to come to big church. I have to admit that at first I did not view her presence in church with me as a good thing. I worried about her wiggling and talking, and I wondered how much she really was getting out of being in there in the first place. But, in the past few months she has started to jot down little notes when she hears something she likes in the sermon, and I am amazed at how much she truly seems to understand. God knew I needed to hear some special words this morning, and when I pulled out the card from Madeleine this is what I read...thanks baby girl.
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| "You are not the one in control. God is. Search me, oh God and know how anxious I am. You are perfect." |
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| "God nor Jesus will never leave us." |
