The American Stroke Association says every 40 seconds a person in our country has a stroke.

It is working to teach people the signs of a stroke to help save lives and lead to better recoveries.

George Curl, a 77-year-old former nurse, who has helped others when they had strokes, had a stroke when he was at home in Columbiana.

Just two days later he had a second stroke at the hospital.

"I knew something terrible was going on. I could feel it in my head and we called the ambulance. I passed out and came to just before the ambulance got there," Curl said.

George and his wife Deborah, who has held his hand along the way, credit the entire staff at Hillside Rehabilitation, saying they not only pushed but encouraged and helped George get better. 

"It was more than we are just here to take care of you, and good luck we will see how you do. They really meant it and their enthusiasm rubbed off on me," George Curl said. 

"If you look at the solution and work towards a goal you're going to get a better outcome. You can't drive forward if you're looking backward," Deborah Curl emphasized.

For a better outcome, you must recognize the signs of a stroke. 

To help you remember think of "BE FAST."  

F.A.S.T stands for FACE, ARM, SPEECH, TIME. 

If your Balance is off and you are having a difficult time standing, if your eyes or face droop on one or both sides, or if your arms have weakness, or if you have difficulty speaking it's time to call 911.

"There is a short time, a couple of hours, where they can reverse some of the problems and keep you from going through much more serious complications," George Curl added.

As he showed how quickly he could walk up and down the stairs, his message was that with early medication attention, you can come back a lot more than you thought.