Mediterranean Diet-A New Way To Prevent Strokes?

The news world was all abuzz with reports that a traditional Mediterranean diet of high intakes of olive oil, fruit, vegetables and grains would lower your risk of stroke. Oh yes and low intakes of red meat, dairy and sweets are also recommended. Let's all look, really look at what I just wrote...go ahead, take a minute.
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Did I not just describe a healthy eating diet PERIOD. Of course your risk of stroke and heart attack will go down if you do all of the above, but isn't that common knowledge? Eating less than a pint of ice cream a day will help lower your risk of diabetes. I mean, yes, right. Not drinking a cup of bleach will keep you alive. Oh, I didn't know that.

I get frustrated when medical knowledge is released as though it is some sort of big news. You're not telling me anything I didn't know 5 minutes ago. Does this annoy you too?

Come on guys, we can do better!

Follow This Blog!

So I've been following this stroke blog called Up Stroke by Marcelle Greene and would encourage you to do the same if you know someone who is going through recovery.  She's a writer and details her recovery process pretty well. I won't say much more because you should definitely click the link above and read her story.

Be well. :)

My New Play: Opening Night

My new one act play Opening Night, will be playing on April 29, 30 and May 1st at Fordham University as part of our curriculum.  I can't wait! I'm so excited. It's about a man who thinks he's experiencing a hallucination but finds out he's preparing for the end of his life. It's pretty much my take on what I think happens before you die. When I was hospitalized and stroking out, I daydreamed a lot. This has little nidbits of what was going through my mind. It's also what I'd like to think my Granny went through before she died. I started writing this after she died in November.

I swear, I'm not always morbid. In fact, this is a comedy! It's being double billed with Horse Girls by Jenny Rachel Weiner. She is my partner in crime aka the other MFA in Playwriting student at Fordham.

Info on the performances can be found here
I'll be posting pics from rehearsals once they start.
Did I mention that I'm so excited?

Valentine's Day Post

Chocolate Covered Strawberry
From My Dog

Not quite a stroke post but considering the day, I thought I would share a few of my Valentine's Day memories of years past.

Growing up, my Father was my first Valentine. Every year, no matter what, he would always make me feel like the most awesome person in the world. Flowers and chocolate every year and sometimes a stuffed bear. As I got older, he could have chosen to take a backseat but still remained ever vigilant at making sure I knew that I was his girl. Today he called me bright and early this morning to wish me a Happy VD. Even though he doesn't live in this country anymore, he still manages to make me feel just as special.

I went to an all girls High School so Valentine's Day was interesting to say the least. I would look out the window from the 5th floor at around 12 and see at least 50 guys waiting patiently dressed in red and holding flowers, candy, stuffed animals, for their sweeties to come down at 2:30pm. They would all stand behind the police barricade heavily guarded by nuns and make small talk with each other. First off, why weren't these boys also in school?? Anyway, I digress.

I never was one of the girls who had a sweetie waiting outside the school doors on V day but it was just interesting to watch the reaction of these girls. They squealed and jumped on their boyfriends but...again, why aren't you in school??? I even recall some girls getting flowers delivered to classes. That definitely got shut down by the Mother Superior and we received a stern warning over the loudspeaker one year.

It's times like these when I wish digital cameras existed. I would have loved to have a record of all that went on those days. 

Anywho, Happy Valentine's Day! I'm glad I still have those memories locked away in the old hippocampus to share. :)

Even Celebrities Get Stroke Scares

I was searching for stroke news when I came across this article from Australia about Jessica Alba's stroke scare. She said:

"The 31-year-old beauty told 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!': 'My whole arm was numb, and then I got a cold sensation from the back of my neck up to the front. And then I was like, 'I think I can't move my face.''

She was checked out and apparently, the doctor said:

"...you had all the signs of a stroke if you were much older."

This is pretty infuriating to me. Again, we all know that stroke can hit you at ANY AGE. The doctor shouldn't have told her that she had the signs if you were much older.  She had the signs then and was absolutely right to rush on over to the hospital to get checked out. Thankfully, she had the signs of carpal tunnels syndrome but the point is that she had enough sense to get checked out. 

Come on news media, you're better than this. Don't make the generalization that strokes are for older people. They are lucky I can't comment on this article otherwise I would have given them a piece of what remains of my mind :)

Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day!

My Thought For Today

I found this picture when I was going through my stuff today. It stopped me because this is the last picture of me before having my stroke and going to the hospital. Even in this pic, I wasn't feeling right. I keep scanning my face and trying to remember details of the day kicking myself for not going to the doctor sooner.

But what can you do? I can't hold onto the past. I can just learn from it. Thank you again for reading and being a part of my journey.

I'm almost at 20,000 hits. Thank you for helping to spread the word about preventing strokes!

I'm Still Looking For You!

Had a stroke at a young age? 

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Tell your story here. 

Let's expand out stroke awareness community together!