One American dies from a stroke every four minutes. In recognition of May being National Stroke Awareness Month, spreading the word about the signs of the condition and what an individual can do to prevent it is key in reducing death and disability caused by the disease.

“You know the phrase ‘time is brain’ is really important. Every second that ticks by, brain cells can be irreversibly damaged and lead to the amount of disability that will ultimately occur,” says Cathy Sila, MD, Director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at University Hospitals (UH) Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

It’s been more than one year since UH Case Medical Center patient William Cunningham suffered from an ischemic stroke, the most common form of the disease. Thanks in part to his wife Denise calling 9-1-1 and recognizing stroke signs and symptoms in advance, William continues making forward progress towards regaining speech and function.

A package, script, b-roll and sound bites with Cathy Sila, MD, Director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at UH Case Medical Center, and stroke survivor William Cunningham and his wife Denise Cunningham are available at http://news.uhhospitals.org/.