Before I came to law school, I was concerned about what I would do if something happened to my parents while I was in school. They are both in their 80’s, so having issues is becoming more of a possibility. However, it turns out that emergencies can arise where you least expect them. Less than a month into my 2L year, my husband suffered a stroke. For today’s video, I review the mnemonic FAST. (Because I am in law school, I am contractually obligated* to disclose that I am not a physician, have no medical training, and this video is meant to be informational, not diagnostic).

There are certainly other signs of a stroke, but my husband’s symptoms were classic FAST. My father has suffered two strokes. After one, he did not exhibit these symptoms in such a recognizable manner, but with the other, he did. With strokes, time is of the essence, so knowing these symptoms and getting help fast is crucial.

Once again, here are the signs:

Fface drooping

Aarm weakness

Sspeech difficulty

Ttime to call 911

If you would like to learn more, the American Stroke Association is a good resource.

*I’m kidding about the contractual obligation (but not the lack of medical training).

See more on the Video Per Day Experiment in my introductory post.