{"id":11962,"date":"2016-11-01T08:00:46","date_gmt":"2016-11-01T13:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/?p=11962"},"modified":"2016-11-01T00:18:51","modified_gmt":"2016-11-01T05:18:51","slug":"american-heart-association-says-nancy-cartoonist-uses-personal-story-to-highlight-stroke-awareness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.paristn.net\/articles\/2016\/11\/01\/american-heart-association-says-nancy-cartoonist-uses-personal-story-to-highlight-stroke-awareness\/","title":{"rendered":"American Heart Association says \u2018Nancy\u2019 cartoonist uses personal story to highlight stroke awareness"},"content":{"rendered":"

American Heart Association<\/h2>\n

\"AmericanDallas, TX<\/strong> – A few years before starting the \u201cMuppets\u201d comic strip for Jim Henson, and long before becoming lead artist of \u201cNancy,\u201d Guy Gilchrist had a stroke.<\/p>\n

On Saturday, World Stroke Day<\/a>, the cartoonist is teaming up with the American Heart Association\/American Stroke Association to bring awareness to the disease that changed the course of his life and career.<\/p>\n

\"NANCY<\/a>

NANCY copyright 2016 Guy Gilchrist. Reprinted by permission of UNIVERSAL UCLICK for UFS. All rights reserved.<\/p><\/div>\n

Gilchrist credits the minor event in his youth for motivating him to give up his unhealthy, stress-filled \u201crock-n-roll lifestyle\u201d and go all-in on his craft.<\/p>\n

A second medical event \u2013 perhaps another minor stroke \u2013 in his 40s served as a powerful reminder, snapping him back into a healthy lifestyle that he now maintains at age 59.<\/p>\n

Gilchrist\u2019s daily strip for October 29th featuring the timeless 8-year-old is a nod to his personal stroke connection and educates readers on the world\u2019s second-leading cause of death, which is now largely treatable.<\/p>\n

\u201cDecades ago there were no treatments for stroke. Now we have therapies that may interrupt even the most severe and disabling stroke if we can get to it in time,\u201d said Alexander Khalessi, M.D., director of neurovascular surgery at the University of California, San Diego and national spokesperson for the American Stroke Association\u2019s Together<\/em> to End Stroke initiative.<\/p>\n

The American Stroke Association\u2019s public awareness campaign and Gilchrist\u2019s October 29th strip focus on stroke symptom recognition because the sooner care is given, the better the chances for recovery.<\/p>\n

The two highlight the acronym F.A.S.T.<\/a> to help people to remember the most common stroke warning signs and how to respond: F<\/strong>ace drooping, A<\/strong>rm weakness, S<\/strong>peech difficulty, T<\/strong>ime to call 911.<\/p>\n

Thanks to syndication by Universal Uclick<\/a>, Gilchrist\u2019s World Stroke Day art and message will reach funny page readers of more than 100 newspapers nationwide.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was happy to see that the October 29th \u2018Nancy\u2019 comic strip mentions stroke awareness, which is an issue that doesn\u2019t always get a lot of attention,\u201d said Lucas Wetzel, associate editor at Universal Uclick. \u201cGetting the right information about how to respond to a stroke can make a critical difference in someone\u2019s life. We\u2019re thrilled that Guy is using \u2018Nancy\u2019 as a platform to encourage greater stroke awareness to thousands of newspaper readers across the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

While he\u2019ll never know if his minor stroke at age 21 could have been avoided, Gilchrist believes strongly in the powers of purpose and prevention.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo matter what you do, God has given you talents,\u201d Gilchrist said. \u201cIf we take care of ourselves, we\u2019ll have a lot of tomorrows and get to use those gifts. The only way the world gets to be a better place is if you\u2019re in it.\u201d<\/p>\n

For more information about stroke, including an entire list of the warning signs, visit www.StrokeAssociation.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Additional Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n