When Ken Dean’s right side of his body suddenly went numb, he knew something wasn’t right.

“I was out golfing in the morning, then I went out to get a bite to eat,” he said. “When I came out of the restaurant, I was walking to my car and it hit. I knew something was really going wrong.”

The numbness Dean was experiencing is one of five warning signs that occurs when someone is having a stroke.

Dean knew the signs and thanks to the quick thinking of a passerby who called 911, Dean was rushed to Barrie’s Royal Victoria Hospital.

While Dean knew the right thing to do was get help, he is among a minority of people according to a recent Heart and Stroke Foundation report.

The report found that only 49 per cent of Canadians would call 911 if they or someone they know experienced warning symptoms of stroke.

In Ontario, 51 per cent of those surveyed said they would call 911.

Nancy Corcoran, an advanced practice nurse from the Enhanced District Stroke Centre at the RVH, said it’s amazing to her that people aren’t taking action.

“People are seeing the symptoms and aren’t realizing how urgent they are,” she said. “It’s a sign that something is affecting blood flow to the brain. You need to seek medical assistance immediately.”

Corcoran said people should get help even if the symptoms fade or go away. She said people should find out what caused the symptom and prevent it from causing more problems.

“We see many people here that say, ‘oh I had the numbness in my arm’ and didn’t think anything of it,” Corcoran said. “But once the numbness becomes more severe, then they wish they would have done something.”

The Heart and Stroke Foundation study, conducted in the fall of 2007, found that approximately 75 per cent of Canadians recognize a sign of stroke.

The five warning signs that someone is experiencing a stroke are a sudden weakness or numbness, trouble speaking, vision problems, a sudden headache and dizziness.

“The symptoms are sudden. That is the most important thing for people to realize,” Corcoran said.

“People might only have one symptom, they might not have them all.”

Corcoran said when dealing with stroke symptoms the sooner a person seeks treatment, the better.

“When dealing with the brain, every minute counts,” she said. “If you don’t seek treatment immediately you are increasing your risk of developing permanent brain damage, permanent disability or death.”

Getting medical help fast opens the door for doctors to administer tissue plaseminogen activator (tPA), a drug, which although doesn’t cure the person, can help manage the stroke symptoms.

Corcoran said the drug, which is more commonly used for people experiencing cardiac arrest, helps to break up the blood clot, if that is the cause of the stroke.

“But it can only be given within three hours of when the symptoms began,” she said. “If someone has symptoms they have to call 911 immediately because they might be eligible for this medication.”

Dean met the qualifications and received the drug at the hospital.

“At first I didn’t have any movement whatsoever.  Then at night it started to come back,” Dean said.

“My leg started to move a bit, and come almost Thursday morning I was feeling pretty darn good.
That new drug they have, it sure did the trick.”

Since his stoke on June 4, Dean’s life is slowly returning to normal.

He has mowed his lawn twice and been back for a check up where his doctor said things are looking good.

Dean even hopes to get back out on the golf course in the next few days.

“I might start off with just nine holes, but we’ll see.”