May is National Stroke Awareness Month.

Learn how to identify stroke signs & symptoms, and how to respond quickly to help save a life.

The best way to determine if someone is having a stroke is to refer to the BE FAST signs. If you notice someone experiencing any of these signs, you must call 911. Calling 911 when someone is having a stroke is the most important action to take to help a person who has sudden signs and symptoms of stroke to decrease the chance of disability or death from stroke.

B.E. F.A.S.T stands for:

Balance Loss: Does the person have a loss of balance or are they dizzy? Are they walking differently?

Eyesight Change: Can the person see out of both eyes? Do they have sudden vision loss or blurry double vision?

Face Drooping: Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person’s smile uneven?

Arm Weakness: Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

Speech Difficulty: Is speech slurred? Is the person unable to speak or hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like “The sky is blue.” Is the sentence repeated correctly?

Time to call 9-1-1: If someone shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 9-1-1 and get the person to the hospital immediately. Check the time so you’ll know when the first symptoms appeared.