Strokes can occur at all ages, experts warn

A year ago, a stroke was the last thing on Rana Meyer's mind. The 38-year-old writer knew she had a few health issues but didn't take her doctor's warnings seriously, believing she was too young to be concerned.

"He said you have to go to the ER, your blood pressure is very high," she told CBS News. She recalls thinking, "That's crazy!"

But two months later, Meyer was in the hospital -- more than a day after her symptoms had started -- as a tear in her artery caused her to lose her language skills. "I couldn't speak normally, I couldn't get my words out, I couldn't read, I couldn't write," she said. She had suffered a stroke.

Dr. Jose Torres, of NYU Langone Comprehensive Stroke Care Center, explained that "studies show you lose two million brain cells every minute an artery in the brain is blocked."

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States, killing nearly 130,000 Americans each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And while stroke risk increases with age, it can occur in young people, too. Some have risk factors like smoking, obesity, high cholesterol or high blood pressure, but others are perfectly healthy, which is why experts say awareness of symptoms is key.

October 29 is World Stroke Day and the American Stroke Association's public awareness campaign is aiming to get people to remember the sudden signs of stroke with the acronym F.A.S.T:

Face drooping -- Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person's smile uneven?

Arm weakness -- Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?

Speech difficulty -- Is speech slurred? Is the person unable to speak or hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like "The sky is blue." Is the sentence repeated correctly?

Time to call 9-1-1 -- If someone shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 9-1-1 and get the person to the hospital immediately. And check the time so you'll know when the first symptoms appeared.

For Meyer, her doctor said her youth helped her make an almost full recovery with the help of intense speech and occupational therapy, but she still isn't 100 percent better.

"If I'm typing, talking to someone, or I'm texting someone, I'll sometimes say the wrong word or type the wrong word," she said. But she's come a long way, and Meyer says she's learned the importance of following her doctor's advice.