Winthrop-University Hospital's Institute for Neurosciences held its third annual Stroke Awareness Fair on May 5. The informative evening included free stroke risk assessments for attendees and compelling talks by neurosurgeon Michael Brisman, MD, Chief of Winthrop's Division of Neurosurgery, and stroke survivor Nancy Magrini, who both emphasized the importance of recognizing the warning signs of a stroke and acting quickly.

"Time lost is brain lost - every second counts," stated Jonathan Brisman, MD, Attending Neurosurgeon at Winthrop. Dr. Brisman emphasized that acting quickly "may make the difference between someone walking and not walking." "It's a team effort," he said, with everyone - from nurses and radiologists to neurologists and neurosurgeons, working in collaboration on a timely basis to diagnose and provide the most appropriate treatment for the individual's specific type of stroke. Although new medications and cutting-edge surgical interventions can minimize the effect of a stroke, time is of the essence - it's important to recognize symptoms and call 911 for immediate assistance.

Survivor Nancy Magrini suffered a stroke at the age of 48, and explained her story. "I awoke early in the morning to go to the bathroom...half asleep I noticed my left arm was numb/tingling." Ms. Magrini fell while getting out of bed, but got back into bed, noticing that it was 3:38 a.m., and went back to sleep. But when her alarm went off at 7:00 a.m. she found she could not sit up. Her left side was "numb, tingling, no feeling, dead weight." She knew she had had a stroke.

In rehabilitation, she had to learn to walk, tie her sneakers, get dressed and how to coordinate her limbs. With intense acute therapy, hard work and determination, she was able to recover. "Three years later I stand on my own before you - and I'm proud of it."

A third speaker at the free Stroke Fair, Kathleen Michel, NP, Cerebrovascular Coordinator at Winthrop, advised people to Act F.A.S.T., using the acronym developed by the National Stroke Association to help people recognize the signs of a stroke. It involves the Face, Arms, Speech and Time. If you think someone may be having a stroke, do this simple test:

Face- Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?

Arms- Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

Speech- ask the person to repeat a simple sentence. Are the word slurred? Can he/she repeat the sentence correctly?

Time- If the person shows any of these symptoms, time is important. Call 911 or get to the hospital quickly.

Winthrop's Institute for Neurosciences provides comprehensive neurological services, including diagnostic, surgical, and radiologic treatment. These services are supported by a sophisticated 14-bed Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit (ICU) - the first of its kind on Long Island. This highly-specialized unit, along with Winthrop's 24/7 on-call Stroke Team, contributed to Winthrop being named a New York State Department of Health-designated Stroke Center.

For more information about stroke care or other services at Winthrop, please call 1-866-WINTHROP.