“WORLD STROKE DAY”

World Stroke Day - October 29

World Stroke Day, on October 29th, seeks to emphasize the serious nature and high rates of stroke. The day is also observed to raise awareness of the prevention and treatment of strokes.

According to previous statistics, one in six people were expected to have a stroke during their lifetime. Fifteen million people around the world have strokes each year. It’s also the leading cause of disability. A stroke may cause paralysis, sensory disturbances, aphasia, and emotional disturbances.

Over 6 million people die as a result of a stroke. Throughout the world, stroke is the second leading cause of death. Additionally, current statistics suggest that the number of people expected to have a stroke has increased. Now, one in four people is likely to have a stroke.

Early Warning Signs

Knowing the early warning signs of stroke saves lives. Early symptoms of a stroke usually happen suddenly. These symptoms include:

  • Numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body
  • Confusion or trouble talking
  • Trouble seeing
  • Dizziness or trouble walking
  • Severe headache

If you or a loved one is having any of these symptoms, it’s important to act F.A.S.T.

F = Facial Weakness
A = Arm Weakness
S = Speech difficulty
T = Time loss is brain loss.  Call 911 when these symptoms are present.  Don’t wait!

Early warning signs of a stroke may disappear after a few minutes. However, the symptoms may still indicate a transient ischemic attack (TIA). Even if symptoms disappear, it’s important to receive medical attention right away.

It’s important to know the symptoms of a stroke. Furthermore, it’s also important to know that strokes can be prevented. In fact, up to 90% of all strokes can be prevented by addressing certain risk factors. These risk factors include hypertension, diet, smoking, and exercise. Through an emphasis on prevention, the World Stroke Association hopes to cut the number of strokes in half by 2030.

HOW TO OBSERVE #WorldStrokeDay

Here are some ways to observe this day:

  • Know your risk of having a stroke
  • Attend an informational discussion on strokes at a local medical facility
  • Take action to prevent a stroke by quitting smoking, changing your diet, and reducing hypertension
  • Learn the early signs of stroke and how you should respond
  • If you have experienced a stroke, share your survivor story with others

Visit www.strokeassociation.org for more resources and use #WorldStrokeDay to share on social media.

WORLD STROKE DAY HISTORY

In the 1990s, the European Stroke Initiative had the idea to create a global awareness day for strokes. Due to financial restrictions, the awareness day was limited to Europe only. The country celebrates its awareness day on May 10th. In 2004, a World Stroke Day was established at the World Stroke Congress in Vancouver.

In 2006, Canadian clinical neuroscientist, Dr. Vladimir Hachinkski helped to incorporate a World Stroke Proclamation. During that time, the International Stroke Society merged with the World Stroke Federation. The result of this merger was the World Stroke Organization (WSO). Under the management of the WSO, the first official World Stroke Day was held on October 29th, 2006.


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“Must Have a Pumpkin for Halloween”

“READ: About the PUMPKIN ANGEL”

 

October is usually a happy time for me—my grandchildren, Daniel and Carly, get all excited about Halloween. They spend weeks beforehand discussing their costumes and dreaming of all that candy.

More than anything else, though, they love pumpkins. And not just any pumpkins. They wanted the ones grown by their great-aunt Margaret. What would my grand-kids do this first Halloween after she died?

I liked to joke that my sister Margaret had a soft spot for those kids—the compost pile in her backyard. That’s where the pumpkins grew. And she and the kids tended to them, slipping an upside-down pie pan under each one so it wouldn’t rot sitting on the ground.

Whenever I picked up my grandchildren and took them to visit Margaret, they’d barely say hello before bursting out into the yard to see what was going on in their “pumpkin patch.” They harvested them and used the big ones for carving into jack-o’-lanterns.

I didn’t know why or how pumpkins grow in a compost heap, of all places. Margaret never planted seeds. Maybe she’d thrown an old pumpkin out there one year. She had a green thumb, though. She could have dug a hole, dropped in a worm and ended up growing a rose bush.

I envied her gardening skills. If only I had inherited Margaret’s abilities after she passed away.

Halloween without Margaret’s pumpkins, Lord? I prayed one night. I wished there were some other way to make the day special. To let Daniel and Carly know their great-aunt’s spirit lived on.

Next day I went to visit the kids. I can help them with their costumes, I thought. That’ll be something, at least. “Hi!” I said, opening the door.

As soon as I walked in they said the quickest hello before shouting, “Grandma! Grandma! Come and see!”

“See what?”

“Just come!” they said, grabbing my hands and dragging me with them. We went outside. There, right on the side of the house, were half-a-dozen pumpkins. All plump and orange, with vines trailing everywhere. Growing in a spot where nothing had ever been planted.

I said, “You know what Aunt Margaret would do if she were here…” We all raced to the kitchen to get some pie pans. The biggest and best got turned into jack-o’-lanterns. The rest decorated the front porch. And they lasted for months, an autumn-long reminder for my two little pumpkin patch kids.

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“Sit back and enjoy”  xoxoxo   xoxo


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“Remembering the Best Celebrated Halloween Nights Out”

Halloween Time

During the early 40’s, while we were doing our best  — working together to support our men and women in an effort to win WWII,  Halloween took a back seat  –  and I, a little kid, just did as I was told! 

With a small “Victory Garden” and a few chickens, we learned to do without, and be  happy and feel blessed with what we had.

When you are attending school, your teacher informs you of the upcoming  “Holidays”  – what you need to do to celebrate, and just so your parents know how much you know  –  you bring home evidence!

I could draw a big circle and color it orange and cut it out, call it a pumpkin,  and it was  our prize  “Pumpkin” for  the 31st of October, so then…  we could celebrate, “Halloween.”

To this day, I’m surprised to be alive? I was fully “armed” to go out to do “Halloween” with my “Peashooter”  and  “Soap Bar”  and a bag of “Peas” … the required ammunition! 

For me , to put a “Pea” in my mouth, line up ,  in the “Peashooter” … and blow as hard as  a “Tornado”  or “Hurricane” with a dead aim at the neighbor’s windows  –  what a  joke on me?

I hardly had enough “wind”   in me to get my self home!

What ever happened to all the peas… did I swallow half of them?  The “Pea Shooter”  was only an ice cream soda straw! 

I do not believe  even one pea   hit a window?   Till this day  – I still don’t know what …  I was suppose to be doing!

Halloween Time pg.2

When, I was a little kid, doing “Halloween,”…   all I knew   was that  couple of  minutes, that…  I saw  in  the “Halloween”  scene… in that movie   – “Meet  Me  in   St.Louis”  and  little  “Margaret O’Brien,” throwing  that handful of flour at an old…“Grump of a Man” and then… running … just as fast as she could!  

Well, I was too scared to ring someone’s   doorbell, and throw anything!

My other  heavy-duty equipment  –  a bar of “Soap”  –  forget me writing on windows  –  doors were out, too   –  someone could possibly open the door  –  grab me  –  and   run me  home in a case of fright,  and… after a hard hand swat to my rear-end!  

Corporal Punishment  for me –  since I was the oldest and should know better –  received my fair  share as I received the blame, when my younger brothers did something they should not have. 

 I  had to learn early – do not get in trouble, keep  my brothers  safe and out of harm’s way  or  I pay the hard way– where it hurts!

So, as followers of the  other neighborhood  kids, we were too short  to use a bar of soap to write on the automobile windows,   we mostly –  would just watch   the bigger kids  – doing dumb  stuff  – and they were thinking  that they were having a whole lot of fun!

The “night” was not over – we went home and turned in our “weapons”  and then…  we were told …. that we could do something… bigger  and better… as my MOM would always have other things to do together!

Halloween Time pg.3

Halloween isn’t over  – until you receive “Goodies!”  So, when Mom said  that we  would  be getting  something “Bigger and Better”  –  she knew just what we would like!

We headed out to the shopping area along Florissant Avenue, a couple of streets with a variety  of merchants  – beauty parlour to  a dry clothes type store and everything in between.

We stop at the stores that indicated “Ghosts and Goblins” invited.  Even though, we were welcome to come in and act silly, I was scared stiff and we were the guys that were supposed to be scary!

Would have been nice if we had pictures taken of “Halloween” but those were the days and times to save more and spend less, because of he “War” going on.

We received money in our bags as we were going to some of the “Merchants”  and “MONEY”  is what was in my bag  and so my Mom would save  it… so I would not lose it. 

As we started on the way toward our house, my Mom said we could stop at the  Drug Store and spend the money on Ice Cream, if we wanted?

That was the best  of ideas… on how to end such a fun evening.

We had the “Best   tasting    Ice Cream”   ever…  and it was “Free”   – my first  and best ever remembered Halloween!


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“Something just for the Children for Halloween”

“Happy Halloween” to… “One and All”

Joshua: What do you get if you cross Bambi with a ghost?
Belia: What?
Joshua: Bamboo.

 

Tim: What is a ghost’s favorite dessert?
Tom: What?
Tim: Booberry pie.

 

Kirk: Why do mummies have no friends?
Mike: Why
Kirk: Because they’re too wrapped up in themselves!

Stephen: What did the ghost say when the skeleton lied to him?
David: I haven’t a clue.
Stephen: “I can see right through you.”


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“if we intentionally yawn, we can”

It’s been said that there are two fundamental forces in the universe: fear and love. The former is the result of a sense of separation or other. The latter is a natural consequence of a sense of unity. In the body, these two qualities are analogous to the nervous system’s parasympathetic (or rest and digest) and sympathetic (fight or flight) divisions.

While sometimes it’s necessary to fight or flee (and the sympathetic nervous system helps us get out of jams in a pinch or gets us out of bed in the morning), learning to activate and stay in the parasympathetic as much as possible is a key to good health and longevity.

There’s lots of ways to activate the parasympathetic nervous system (aka PNS) and enjoy its health effects, including strength and immunity, better sleep, lower blood pressure, improved digestion and a healthier thyroid. Slow deep rhythmic breathing can help, also muscle relaxation protocols, including body work and massage. There’s nothing like a warm luxurious bath for leveraging the PNS’s salubrious benefits.

One of the fastest ways to go parasympathetic is to yawn. Opening the mouth wide and inhaling deeply, following it up with a long powerful exhalation or sigh. While ordinarily an automatic and involuntary response to fatigue, if we intentionally yawn, we can voluntarily turn on the PNS and enjoy all its associated bodily perks. Your brain will benefit too. A good strong yawn can stimulate the release of neurochemicals that are important for concentration, memory, learning and good decision making.

 


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“Are YOU…Getting Dressed for Halloween Party”

“Are YOU getting ready to celebrate HALLOWEEN?”

Now is the time to prepare and make your own “outfits” from garments that you may have in the “ATTIC”  and  or from a costume pattern, maybe one,  that is  very nice and easy… as these usually only get the  ‘one-time’ wear, but…  they  could  be used for the next generation and, or  even passed on to friends!

     “Halloween Outfits” – “I Want to WEAR…”–

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This “PHOTO” is really two Photos… taken in the same room…just  close enough… for  that  healthy plant… to be a connector…so that I could place together…and now it looks like one  “TERRIFIC  PHOTO”  of my “GRAND-Daughters” dressed so cute… that I  also wish that I could dress as the little mouse on the left – – which is  “MISS  Jaime Aldrich” … and if ever again… that I could have a chance to wear a “Bride’s Gown” – –  I only wish that I could look as sweet as a our little “BRIDE” as  “MISS  Alyssa   Aldrich” – – and these are “HOME-MADE” out-fits… which are  always rated  with an “A  PLUS”  in my book!

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 “For  this and  the up and coming HALLOWEEN…  which will  be  next  “Saturday” …

“How would you like  these two special  and very well dressed “Halloweeners”  show up at your front door to receive a very special  treat ??”

To all of those that can remember,  that old MOVIE, “Meet Me in St. Louis” – you will see how  “Halloween” was celebrated at the turn of the CENTURY – and all of the preparation for the children – and the FUN that they all had – just for ideas!

 

“Sit back and enjoy!”


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