Strokecast

This week, we learned about the tragic death of Luke Perry. He suffered a stroke at age 52 and did not survive. This sparked comments across social media that many of us have had to address only in personal conversations before. Namely: "I thought you had to be old to have a stroke!" Those of us who spend a lot of time dealing with and thinking about stroke know that is completely untrue. But most folks are not part of our community, and it takes a major celebrity death to really get people to think about it. My hope is that some good can come from this. If Luke Perry's death inspires more folks to check and know their risk factors, that's a good thing. If it encourages more folks to know the BEFAST warning signs of stroke, that is also a good thing. There's the potential for Luke Perry's death to save the lives of hundreds or thousands of other people by driving increased awareness and response to stroke and its causes. How Can You Help? Media attention can be fleeting so now is the time to take action.