LOCAL EVENT BRINGING AWARENESS TO TEENAGE STROKE
The Anchor Club in Brenham is holding an event this weekend aimed at bringing awareness to an often overlooked issue- teenage stroke.
“We want to make the community aware of what the signs of a stroke are and that it can indeed happen to teenagers” says Carol Hutchens, Anchor Club advisor.
The event will feature a showing of “1000 to 1”. The film tells to true story of Cory Weissman, a college basketball player who suffers a devastating stroke.
The film will be followed by a testimony from Brenham High School’s own teenage stroke survivor, Justin Davis.
Davis suffered a stroke in 2012 after football practice. He subsequently had to have brain surgery and missed months of school before graduating in 2013.
“It could be a healthy athlete and they don’t realize it is a stroke” says Hutchens. “Just like with Justin Davis, no one thought he could have a stroke.”
According to the National Stroke Association, strokes are on the rise among younger adults – there has been a 44-percent increase in the number of young Americans hospitalized due to stroke over the last decade.
The association says young adults often can’t identify stroke symptoms or they ignore them, resulting in more severe outcomes or loss of life.
The financial burden and family obligations after a stroke in young adults can also be significantly greater than for older stroke survivors. Because of their younger age, they will frequently live longer with the physical effects of a stroke and experience a greater loss in salary earnings over a longer period of time.
“We aren’t trying to scare the community, but we just want to make the community aware of what the signs of a stroke are and that it can indeed happen to teenagers” says Hutchens.
The event is happening on Saturday from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m. at Westwood Cinema 6. There is a $2 donation for every entry into the event. The concession stand will also be open.
Anyone planning on bring a large group of people is asked to call 979.451.95.79 in advance.