“If you ask 10 people on the street—would they know the symptoms [of stroke]? Maybe one,” says Eugene, whose story highlights the need for greater stroke awareness.

June 15^th was an unusual night for this 34 year old Wall Street employee. Instead of immediately going home after work, he first went out to have a drink with coworkers. After arriving home safely, he went to sleep, only to be awoken by a terrible headache. He took a Tylenol and headed back to bed.

“If you ask 10 people on the street—would they know the symptoms [of stroke]? Maybe one,” says Eugene, whose story highlights the need for greater stroke awareness.

June 15^th was an unusual night for this 34 year old Wall Street employee. Instead of immediately going home after work, he first went out to have a drink with coworkers. After arriving home safely, he went to sleep, only to be awoken by a terrible headache. He took a Tylenol and headed back to bed. The sound of Eugene crashing to the floor woke his wife Jodi, who discovered he had fallen and was now bleeding from his head. When he failed to grasp the towel she handed him, Jodi, a speech therapist with knowledge of stroke, knew there was something going on. Says Jodi: “He had every symptom of a stroke or serious brain injury.”

The emergency responders stabilized him for transport to the hospital but did not recognize his stroke symptoms. Eugene, thought to be alcohol impaired, was treated at a nearby hospital for a head wound. After Jodi continued to insist that something was seriously wrong, the hospital staff performed a CAT scan which showed extensive bleeding in his brain. Eugene had suffered a massive hemorrhagic stroke.

The public is dangerously misinformed about stroke, we aim to change that. Our mission is to reduce the incidence and impact of this life-threatening medical condition. We're here to save lives, improve quality of care and increase patient outcomes. Below are ways National Stroke Association is working to spread stroke awareness and educate medical professionals.