For the 2008-09 football season, patient representatives with the Black Country Cardiovascular Network, proposed and developed a new scheme whereby football teams in the Black Country were donated football kit bearing the FAST stroke awareness and emergency 999 messages in support of a national risk awareness campaign by the Stroke Association and Department of Health. To date ten Black Country football teams have benefited by receiving new strips. The promotion has been a success both for the teams taking part and for the Network as successful in raising public awareness of stroke risk with the result that the scheme is being extended into the 2009-10 season. Tipton Town Ladies met with the Black Country Cardiovascular Network and some stroke victims, on Saturday when the Tipton Girls were presented with their new free kit. We were told who ever wears the new kit has never lost a game. So the Tipton Town Ladies who are currently floating around mid-table in the Birmingham Women’s Premier Division couldn’t resist a go. After drawing after extra time against Kenilworth Town in the Open Cup, we witnessed the kits magic when an own goal gave Tipton the lead.
The acronym FAST stands for; Facial weakness, Arm weakness, Speech problems and Time to ring 999. Dramatic improvements in stroke outcome are possible if the patient receives treatment within three hours of onset of stroke symptoms and this relies on rapid recognition of stroke by the general public. To this end a campaign known as FAST has been developed, which is a simple test to help ordinary people to recognise the signs of stroke and understand the importance of getting emergency treatment to the patient – fast.
The acronym FAST stands for; Facial weakness, Arm weakness, Speech problems and Time to ring 999.
A stroke can come on FAST and if you act FAST you don’t have to suffer its consequences.
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