Latest news with #HeartandStrokeFoundationofCanada
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
This Canadian beauty queen couldn't believe she was having a stroke at 23: ‘The possibility...was completely out of the question'
Samantha Gomez never imagined she'd have a stroke — even when she was actively experiencing one. One morning in February of 2017, Gomez was hustling around the house getting ready for work. It was a routine morning for the 23-year-old — except it was taking her longer than usual to shower and get dressed. Things took a turn in the kitchen, when she went to pour herself a bowl of cereal. 'I completely missed the bowl,' Gomez, now 32, tells Yahoo Canada. 'At that point, my coordination was completely out the window.' After she tidied up the cereal that littered the countertop, Gomez turned her attention to starting her car. But she couldn't find the keys. 'I still did not clue in that something was wrong, I was just so rushed to get to work,' she remembers eight years later. Gomez called her now-husband, Rob, to ask if he took her keys, but the words weren't coming out right. 'I kept asking him, 'Where are my limes?' Instead of saying 'keys,' I kept saying 'limes,'" she says. On the other end of the phone, her partner was getting concerned. Upstairs, her dad overheard Gomez getting upset. I kept asking him, 'Where are my limes?' Instead of saying keys, I kept saying Gomez 'My dad came downstairs and said 'What's going on?'" Gomez recalls. 'That's when it dawned on me something was wrong. No one is understanding me.' As her dad called 911, panic settled in. By the time an ambulance arrived at the Bradford, Ont. home, Gomez could not speak at all. 'My speech was completely gone,' she says. 'I felt sick, nauseous and very very confused.' It turns out Gomez was experiencing the first symptoms of a severe ischemic stroke. A blood clot or blockage was disrupting blood flow to the brain, and it was affecting her speech and coordination. After being rushed to the nearest hospital, and then transferred to another, doctors confirmed the diagnosis: at just 23, Gomez had suffered a stroke. After recovering, Gomez participated in the 2018 Mrs. Universe Canada pageant, a platform she used to bring much-needed awareness to strokes — especially in young people. Even in the midst of her own medical emergency, a stroke was the last thing on her mind. 'The awareness for strokes, especially in young people, it's just not there,' Gomez says. 'The possibility of having a stroke was completely out of the question.' The reality is, strokes can happen to people of any age. According to a new report funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, about one in 20 strokes in Canada occur in people under 45, and emerging evidence points to young women being at higher risk than young men. Even babies and toddlers can have strokes, though diagnosis of stroke in newborns and children is often delayed. 'Stroke is not a condition of elderly people anymore,' says Dr. Aleksandra Pikula, chair of stroke prevention and cerebrovascular brain health at the University of Toronto and the Krembil Brain Institute at Toronto Western Hospital. Pikula says stroke cases in younger people — particularly those under 45 — have increased by nearly 15 per cent in the decade. Stroke is not a condition of elderly people Aleksandra Pikula 'That's a pretty dramatic number,' she says. 'This young population also has a much higher rate of traditional risk factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, alcohol use and drug use.' This is the case globally, the doctor says, including in high-income countries like Canada, the United States and in Europe. 'We can dissect that into what's happening specifically for women, and we are seeing that women aged 35 and younger have 44 per cent more likelihood to have an ischemic stroke than their male peers,' she adds. Researchers are trying to understand why, with some studies looking at the link between oral contraceptives and stroke. 'It seems that explains part of it,' Pikula agrees. 'We see that combined oral contraceptives can triple the risk of some types of ischemic stroke in young women.' She also adds that risk factors for stroke are even higher for women who smoke, have migraines with aura, have high blood pressure or have abdominal obesity. Prevention is key, Pikula says, and she advises people of all ages to to be checked for common risk factors for stroke and heart conditions, given that up to 80 per cent of strokes are preventable with lifestyle changes — which include healthy nutrition, stress management and around 20 minutes of daily physical activity. While Pikula says "signs of strokes are pretty unified between men and women," she adds that there are some "typical presentations for women." "They come with more headaches, with more confusion, with more dizziness, with more chest tightness," she explains. Sometimes, those symptoms can be dismissed if classic stroke symptoms aren't as severe. 'If you're doubting if this is something serious or not, it's better to be checked, so call 911,' Pikula says. 'Every single minute counts.' More than three in 10 Canadians cannot name any signs of stroke, according to the latest Heart and Stroke poll results. FAST is a simple way to remember signs of stroke: Face – is it drooping? Arms – can you raise both? Speech – Is it slurred or jumbled? Time to call 9-1-1 right away.
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
This Canadian beauty queen couldn't believe she was having a stroke at 23: ‘The possibility...was completely out of the question'
Samantha Gomez never imagined she'd have a stroke — even when she was actively experiencing one. One morning in February of 2017, Gomez was hustling around the house getting ready for work. It was a routine morning for the 23-year-old — except it was taking her longer than usual to shower and get dressed. Things took a turn in the kitchen, when she went to pour herself a bowl of cereal. 'I completely missed the bowl,' Gomez, now 32, tells Yahoo Canada. 'At that point, my coordination was completely out the window.' After she tidied up the cereal that littered the countertop, Gomez turned her attention to starting her car. But she couldn't find the keys. 'I still did not clue in that something was wrong, I was just so rushed to get to work,' she remembers eight years later. Gomez called her now-husband, Rob, to ask if he took her keys, but the words weren't coming out right. 'I kept asking him, 'Where are my limes?' Instead of saying 'keys,' I kept saying 'limes,'" she says. On the other end of the phone, her partner was getting concerned. Upstairs, her dad overheard Gomez getting upset. I kept asking him, 'Where are my limes?' Instead of saying keys, I kept saying Gomez 'My dad came downstairs and said 'What's going on?'" Gomez recalls. 'That's when it dawned on me something was wrong. No one is understanding me.' As her dad called 911, panic settled in. By the time an ambulance arrived at the Bradford, Ont. home, Gomez could not speak at all. 'My speech was completely gone,' she says. 'I felt sick, nauseous and very very confused.' It turns out Gomez was experiencing the first symptoms of a severe ischemic stroke. A blood clot or blockage was disrupting blood flow to the brain, and it was affecting her speech and coordination. After being rushed to the nearest hospital, and then transferred to another, doctors confirmed the diagnosis: at just 23, Gomez had suffered a stroke. After recovering, Gomez participated in the 2018 Mrs. Universe Canada pageant, a platform she used to bring much-needed awareness to strokes — especially in young people. Even in the midst of her own medical emergency, a stroke was the last thing on her mind. 'The awareness for strokes, especially in young people, it's just not there,' Gomez says. 'The possibility of having a stroke was completely out of the question.' The reality is, strokes can happen to people of any age. According to a new report funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, about one in 20 strokes in Canada occur in people under 45, and emerging evidence points to young women being at higher risk than young men. Even babies and toddlers can have strokes, though diagnosis of stroke in newborns and children is often delayed. 'Stroke is not a condition of elderly people anymore,' says Dr. Aleksandra Pikula, chair of stroke prevention and cerebrovascular brain health at the University of Toronto and the Krembil Brain Institute at Toronto Western Hospital. Pikula says stroke cases in younger people — particularly those under 45 — have increased by nearly 15 per cent in the decade. Stroke is not a condition of elderly people Aleksandra Pikula 'That's a pretty dramatic number,' she says. 'This young population also has a much higher rate of traditional risk factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, alcohol use and drug use.' This is the case globally, the doctor says, including in high-income countries like Canada, the United States and in Europe. 'We can dissect that into what's happening specifically for women, and we are seeing that women aged 35 and younger have 44 per cent more likelihood to have an ischemic stroke than their male peers,' she adds. Researchers are trying to understand why, with some studies looking at the link between oral contraceptives and stroke. 'It seems that explains part of it,' Pikula agrees. 'We see that combined oral contraceptives can triple the risk of some types of ischemic stroke in young women.' She also adds that risk factors for stroke are even higher for women who smoke, have migraines with aura, have high blood pressure or have abdominal obesity. Prevention is key, Pikula says, and she advises people of all ages to to be checked for common risk factors for stroke and heart conditions, given that up to 80 per cent of strokes are preventable with lifestyle changes — which include healthy nutrition, stress management and around 20 minutes of daily physical activity. While Pikula says "signs of strokes are pretty unified between men and women," she adds that there are some "typical presentations for women." "They come with more headaches, with more confusion, with more dizziness, with more chest tightness," she explains. Sometimes, those symptoms can be dismissed if classic stroke symptoms aren't as severe. 'If you're doubting if this is something serious or not, it's better to be checked, so call 911,' Pikula says. 'Every single minute counts.' More than three in 10 Canadians cannot name any signs of stroke, according to the latest Heart and Stroke poll results. FAST is a simple way to remember signs of stroke: Face – is it drooping? Arms – can you raise both? Speech – Is it slurred or jumbled? Time to call 9-1-1 right away.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Want to prevent a stroke? 5 simple, everyday lifestyle changes you should make, according to a doctor
Nearly 900,000 Canadian adults have experienced a stroke — a disease that affects blood flow to, and within, the brain and damages brain cells. With June being Stroke Month, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada is raising awareness about the disease, its risk factors and myths. And, while many factors influence stroke risk — including things you can't change, like genetics, age and sex — certain lifestyle changes can lower your risk of stroke. In fact, 80 per cent of strokes are preventable. However, according to a 2023 poll, 7 in 10 Canadians don't understand the risk factors for stroke and heart disease. It can be hard to fix what you don't understand. With this in mind, Yahoo Canada spoke to Dr. Nishita Singh. She's a stroke neurologist, assistant professor at the University of Manitoba and the Heart and Stroke and Research Manitoba chair in clinical stroke research. Here, Singh shares her advice on how to decrease stroke risk by making lifestyle changes and embracing healthy habits. First, an important reminder: 'Stroke can happen at any age, and the risk of stroke increases as people get older,' Singh says. While 80 per cent of all strokes happen to those over the age of 60, it's important to note that younger people can — and do — have strokes. 'It's really important that you keep your heart and brain healthy,' Singh says. 'That's what would prevent stroke and heart disease, and it all begins with understanding your risk and knowing what you can do to manage them.' The good news is, healthy lifestyle behaviours can be very effective in lowering your stroke risk. 'These simple habits are, of course, easier for some than others," the doctor continues. "But they can make a remarkable difference when it comes to decreasing your risk of stroke and heart disease in the future.' Singh and other doctors advise patients to aim for 10,000 steps per day. If you're not doing any kind of physical activity each day, Singh says you should start — whether you're in your 20s or 60s — or even older. 'It's never too late to start any kind of physical activity,' she says. Can't hit 10,000 steps? That's OK. Any exercise is better than nothing, Singh notes. 'There is a cumulative benefit when it comes to physical activity, so even if you start with 2,000 steps a day or 5,000 steps a day, that's also good,' she explains. As a benchmark, the Heart and Stroke Foundation suggests people get in 150 minutes of exercise per week, which is about 20 minutes each day. And it doesn't have to be hitting the gym or lifting weights. Singh says it can be as simple as walking. Smoking is one of the biggest risk factors for both heart disease and stroke, Singh says. 'It is also one of the most challenging things to do at a personal level when it comes to quitting.' Smoking causes stickiness in your blood cells, making them clump together more easily — and more likely to form clots. Smoking can also lead to deposition of cholesterol plaques, which can cause narrowing of the arteries in the heart, the brain and throughout your body. 'That can lead to symptoms of heart disease, heart attack or stroke,' Singh explains. The same goes for e-cigarettes and vaping. If you're thinking about quitting, Singh says it doesn't have to be an 'all or nothing' mindset. 'Just start with taking baby steps — there's a cumulative benefit there as well," she says. Experts generally recommend limiting alcohol intake for heart health. In fact, the World Heart Federation says that even moderate alcohol consumption can harm cardiovascular health, and Health Canada's guidelines to limit alcohol consumption to no more than two drinks per week align with this. 'There's a lot of recent data which actually strongly supports that no alcohol is the best way to protect yourself from heart disease or stroke,' Singh says. 'Currently, you should abstain from alcohol completely to prevent any further risk.' It's one of the most commonly asked questions Singh gets: What exactly should I be eating as part of a healthy diet? 'It's really about conscious eating and conscious lifestyle measures,' she says. Generally, Singh tells patients that eating healthy means not getting takeout from fast food joints every day. 'No deep fried foods, no alcohol, no smoking, no ultra-processed foods, and no or minimal red meat,' she adds. Similar to smoking, Singh explains that the extra oil in deep-fried foods deposits in the walls of blood vessels and contributes to the narrowing of arteries. 'It can ultimately lead to decreased blood flow and make these organs unhappy and cause symptoms and heart disease and stroke,' she says. She also says researchers are currently studying how ultra-processed foods can affect your risk of heart disease and stroke. So, what should you eat? 'Eat as much natural, organic, green, healthy, leafy greens, vegetables and fruits [as possible] and get all of that in your system while you're exercising and having a smoke-free, alcohol-free life," the doctor says. Maintaining a healthy weight is another way to lower your risk of stroke. It's worth noting, Singh says, that these changes don't have to happen overnight. "Even if you take small, incremental steps, your risk of stroke will lower over time as you pursue a healthier lifestyle," she says. More than three in 10 Canadians cannot name any of the signs of stroke, according to the latest Heart and Stroke poll results. It's important to recognize the signs of stroke so you can act quickly. FAST is a simple way to remember the signs of stroke: Face – is it drooping? Arms – can you raise both? Speech – Is it slurred or jumbled? Time to call 9-1-1 right away.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Want to prevent a stroke? 5 simple, everyday lifestyle changes you should make, according to a doctor
Nearly 900,000 Canadian adults have experienced a stroke — a disease that affects blood flow to, and within, the brain and damages brain cells. With June being Stroke Month, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada is raising awareness about the disease, its risk factors and myths. And, while many factors influence stroke risk — including things you can't change, like genetics, age and sex — certain lifestyle changes can lower your risk of stroke. In fact, 80 per cent of strokes are preventable. However, according to a 2023 poll, 7 in 10 Canadians don't understand the risk factors for stroke and heart disease. It can be hard to fix what you don't understand. With this in mind, Yahoo Canada spoke to Dr. Nishita Singh. She's a stroke neurologist, assistant professor at the University of Manitoba and the Heart and Stroke and Research Manitoba chair in clinical stroke research. Here, Singh shares her advice on how to decrease stroke risk by making lifestyle changes and embracing healthy habits. First, an important reminder: 'Stroke can happen at any age, and the risk of stroke increases as people get older,' Singh says. While 80 per cent of all strokes happen to those over the age of 60, it's important to note that younger people can — and do — have strokes. 'It's really important that you keep your heart and brain healthy,' Singh says. 'That's what would prevent stroke and heart disease, and it all begins with understanding your risk and knowing what you can do to manage them.' [Simple habits] can make a remarkable difference when it comes to decreasing your risk of stroke and heart disease in the Nishita Singh The good news is, healthy lifestyle behaviours can be very effective in lowering your stroke risk. 'These simple habits are, of course, easier for some than others," the doctor continues. "But they can make a remarkable difference when it comes to decreasing your risk of stroke and heart disease in the future.' Singh and other doctors advise patients to aim for 10,000 steps per day. If you're not doing any kind of physical activity each day, Singh says you should start — whether you're in your 20s or 60s — or even older. 'It's never too late to start any kind of physical activity,' she says. Can't hit 10,000 steps? That's OK. Any exercise is better than nothing, Singh notes. 'There is a cumulative benefit when it comes to physical activity, so even if you start with 2,000 steps a day or 5,000 steps a day, that's also good,' she explains. As a benchmark, the Heart and Stroke Foundation suggests people get in 150 minutes of exercise per week, which is about 20 minutes each day. And it doesn't have to be hitting the gym or lifting weights. Singh says it can be as simple as walking. Smoking is one of the biggest risk factors for both heart disease and stroke, Singh says. 'It is also one of the most challenging things to do at a personal level when it comes to quitting.' Smoking causes stickiness in your blood cells, making them clump together more easily — and more likely to form clots. Smoking can also lead to deposition of cholesterol plaques, which can cause narrowing of the arteries in the heart, the brain and throughout your body. 'That can lead to symptoms of heart disease, heart attack or stroke,' Singh explains. The same goes for e-cigarettes and vaping. If you're thinking about quitting, Singh says it doesn't have to be an 'all or nothing' mindset. 'Just start with taking baby steps — there's a cumulative benefit there as well," she says. Experts generally recommend limiting alcohol intake for heart health. In fact, the World Heart Federation says that even moderate alcohol consumption can harm cardiovascular health, and Health Canada's guidelines to limit alcohol consumption to no more than two drinks per week align with this. 'There's a lot of recent data which actually strongly supports that no alcohol is the best way to protect yourself from heart disease or stroke,' Singh says. 'Currently, you should abstain from alcohol completely to prevent any further risk.' It's one of the most commonly asked questions Singh gets: What exactly should I be eating as part of a healthy diet? 'It's really about conscious eating and conscious lifestyle measures,' she says. Generally, Singh tells patients that eating healthy means not getting takeout from fast food joints every day. 'No deep fried foods, no alcohol, no smoking, no ultra-processed foods, and no or minimal red meat,' she adds. Similar to smoking, Singh explains that the extra oil in deep-fried foods deposits in the walls of blood vessels and contributes to the narrowing of arteries. 'It can ultimately lead to decreased blood flow and make these organs unhappy and cause symptoms and heart disease and stroke,' she says. She also says researchers are currently studying how ultra-processed foods can affect your risk of heart disease and stroke. So, what should you eat? 'Eat as much natural, organic, green, healthy, leafy greens, vegetables and fruits [as possible] and get all of that in your system while you're exercising and having a smoke-free, alcohol-free life," the doctor says. Maintaining a healthy weight is another way to lower your risk of stroke. It's worth noting, Singh says, that these changes don't have to happen overnight. "Even if you take small, incremental steps, your risk of stroke will lower over time as you pursue a healthier lifestyle," she says. More than three in 10 Canadians cannot name any of the signs of stroke, according to the latest Heart and Stroke poll results. It's important to recognize the signs of stroke so you can act quickly. FAST is a simple way to remember the signs of stroke: Face – is it drooping? Arms – can you raise both? Speech – Is it slurred or jumbled? Time to call 9-1-1 right away.
