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TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in America, according to the National Institutes of Health and one person in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds.
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Lucy Peña was at work two years ago when coworkers noticed she was struggling to speak. She was treated within minutes at Northwest Medical Center, located across the street from her workplace. Doctors say the quick response likely saved her life.
“Brain cells are dying rapidly and the most important thing to do is get to the hospital, so that treatments can be put into place,” said Dr. Leslie Ritter.
Ritter, who has a doctorate in physiology and spent two decades as a critical care nurse, founded the Stroke Resource Center of Southern Arizona 12 years ago.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identifies smoking, high blood pressure, obesity and diabetes as leading risk factors for stroke. Research shows one in three Americans have at least one of those risk factors and 80% of strokes are preventable.
Peña’s stroke was triggered by hormones in her birth control. The medication she had taken for over a decade caused a blood clot in her brain, leading to jumbled speech and numbness in half her body. Still, one of the biggest hurdles in her recovery came after she was discharged from the hospital.
“I became pregnant after my stroke, and so the biggest part of my therapy came from being a mom,” Peña said.
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She says her son gave her the willpower to reach this point in her recovery and her friends and family have been essential.
Dr. Ritter says a support system is crucial to stroke rehabilitation, which is what the center aims to provide.
“What we do is bring people together in a setting where they can talk about stroke, be with others, understand that what they’re going through is normal,” she said.
The center hosts its next meeting for survivors and caregivers on June 15.
Health officials use the acronym BE FAST to recognize stroke symptoms:
- Balance loss
- Eyesight or vision changes
- Face drooping
- Arm weakness
- Speech difficulty
- Time to call 911
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