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May is American Stroke Month, and the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association provide an extraordinary range of information:

Stroke facts:

• Someone in the U.S. has a stroke every 40 seconds. Evert four minutes, someone dies from one.
• Stroke is a leading cause of disability and the No. 1 cause of preventable disability.
• Stroke disproportionally affects minorities. African-Americans have almost twice the risk of stroke as White Americans and a much higher death rate from stroke.

Stroke Warning Signs:

• During a stroke, a person has a short window of time to get to a hospital to be assessed for appropriate treatment options. That’s why it’s important to act fast during a stroke emergency.
• Nationwide, only 3-5 percent of patients receive the clot-busting drug tPA and fewer than 1 percent receive endovascular therapy (a medical device).
• Anyone can have a stroke and everyone should be ready. The bystander is usually the one who has to recognize a stroke and call 9-1-1.

If you think you or someone else might be having a stroke, the key phrase is FAST:

• F – Face Drooping: Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile.
• A – Arm Weakness: Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
• S – Speech Difficulty: Is speech slurred, are they unable to speak, or are they hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like “the sky is blue.” Is the sentence repeated correctly?
• T – Time to call 9-1-1: If the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 9-1-1 and get them to the hospital immediately.

Also, there's a helpful quiz to test whether you know what to do if you suspect a stroke. Take the quiz here.