Every four to six seconds, regardless of age or gender – someone somewhere will die from stroke.

What is a stroke?

Stroke happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. Without blood, brain cells can be damaged or die. This damage can have different effects depending on where it happens in the brain. It can affect people’s body, mobility and speech, as well as how they think and feel.

Stroke devastates lives around the world.

Stroke is the leading cause of disability and the second leading cause of death globally. Stroke can happen to anyone at any age. Stroke affects everyone: survivors, family and friends, workplaces and communities.

17M – Strokes           6M – deaths          5M – Permanently Disabled

This, however, is more than a public health statistic. These are people, who at one time, were someone’s sister, brother, wife, husband, daughter, son, mother, father… friend. They did exist and were loved. Behind the numbers are real lives.

Stroke is treatable.

Stroke is a complex medical issue. But there are ways to significantly reduce its impact. Recognizing the signs of stroke early, treating it as a medical emergency with admission to a specialized stroke unit, and access to the best professional care can substantially improve outcomes.

The “1 in 6” campaign celebrates the fact that not only can stroke be prevented, but that stroke survivors can fully recover and regain their quality of life with the appropriate long-term care and support.

Stroke is the second leading cause of death for people above the age of 60, and the fifth leading cause in people aged 15 to 59. Stroke also attacks children, including newborns.  Each year, nearly six million people die from stroke. In fact, stroke is responsible for more deaths every year than those attributed to AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria put together – three diseases which have set the benchmark for successful public health advocacy, capturing the attention of the world’s media and which consequently has provoked world leaders, governments and many sectors of civil society to act.

Stroke is indiscriminate and does not respect borders. Individual countries cannot address the challenges of stroke in isolation. World Stroke Day brings together advocacy groups, patient survivor support networks, volunteer stroke societies, public health authorities, physicians, nurses and others within the allied health professions including civil society at-large, for a collaborative approach to comprehensive stroke education, advocacy, prevention, treatment and long-term care and support for stroke survivors. Act now and don’t be the one (1) in six neither let your family and/or friends be the “1 in 6”.

To Your Health & Safety,

Faisal Javed Mir & First Aid to Save a Life Pakistan

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