Something we would never even have imagined could happen is now such an important part of our lives. We know first hand strokes do not just happen to the elderly or the unhealthy. Strokes can happen to anyone at any time. Knowing the signs is the first step to saving a life. I know that someone was watching out for Andrew on February 28, 2015, he was at the right place with the right person when he suffered his hemorrhagic stroke. I don’t like to think what would have been had he been at school or even at home. Everyone knows the fast signs, we see them in commercials and advertisements but what most people, including our family before it happened to us, don’t know are the more subtle signs that can show in kids. The signs that up until it happened to Andrew I would have not taken so seriously. Andrew didn’t show any of the FAST symptoms, at first he started to get a headache, his leg and arm got a tingley feeling and 5 minutes later he was lethargic, throwing up, screaming for water and about the pain in his head. Our friend Craig Price knew that something was seriously wrong with Andrew and knew that he needed emergency help, it’s hard for me to say, but I honestly don’t know what I would have done. I remember kneeling in front of Andrew telling him to stay awake and just hugging him, telling him I love him but that was it, my mind was blank we had never been in an emergency situation before, I didn’t know kids could have strokes. I always thought as a mom I would know what my kids need but I was so wrong. What would we have done if he was at home? I still to this day believe, it wouldn’t have been the right thing and our awareness messages would have had such a different feeling. Andrew’s video is from a few years ago but the message he has never loses its importance.
