Thank you to all our supporters who helped make National Stroke Week a huge success

National Stroke Week has wrapped up for another year and with your help we have moved closer to our goal of ensuring every Australian household has someone who knows the signs of stroke and to call 000.

On behalf of the Stroke Foundation, I would like to thank you for your support.

National Stroke Week is the Stroke Foundation’s annual campaign to shine a light on this terrible disease. It’s an opportunity for all Australians to learn about stroke, how to prevent it and what to do if you suspect someone is having a stroke. I am confident there are many more people across the community who now know about the F.A.S.T message thanks to the 3000-plus Stroke Week events. However there is still so much more to be done.

Stroke kills more men than prostate cancer, more women than breast cancer and leaves thousands with an ongoing disability. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Stroke is largely preventable, it can be treated and it can be beaten.

But too many people still do not know what to do if faced with a stroke emergency. Too many people only learn about stroke once it touches a loved one, colleague, friend or themselves. This must change.

Stroke Foundation is aiming to etch F.A.S.T in the Australian psyche. We want F.A.S.T to be as wellknown as like the iconic slip, slop, slap sun protection campaign. To do this we need your support.

The FAST test is an easy way to recognise and remember the signs of stroke. It involves asking these simple questions:
Face – Check their face. Has their mouth drooped?
Arms – Can they lift both arms?
Speech – Is their speech slurred? Do they understand you?
Time – Time is critical. If you see any of these signs, call 000 straight away

Learn it and share it.

Stroke attacks the brain, changing lives in an instant. Up to 1.9 million brain cells die every minute treatment is delayed. Paramedics, nurses and doctors can only help if people recognise the signs of stroke, dial 000 and get to hospital quickly. Time saved equals brain saved.

Thanks to our incredible supporters we were able to spread this message far and wide this National Stroke Week, reaching a record number of Australians. But our work doesn’t stop here.