The Educated Patient Podcast: What You Need to Know About Stroke

In the latest episode of The Educated Patient Podcast, host Mike DeMarco sits down with Brian Snelling, M.D., neurosurgeon and director of cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgery and director of the stroke program at Marcus Neuroscience Institute, part of Baptist Health South Florida, for a conversation that could genuinely save a life. Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States, but it is the leading cause of serious long-term disability. That distinction matters, and it shapes everything about how Snelling approaches stroke awareness.

One in four people over the age of 25 will have a stroke in their lifetime. Yet unlike a heart attack, which often announces itself with crushing chest pain and a visceral sense that something is deeply wrong, stroke can be remarkably subtle. Symptoms may feel minor, and easy to dismiss or to sleep off. That tendency to wait, Snelling says, is one of the most dangerous things a person can do.

Knowing the Signs

Snelling recommends remembering the acronym BE-FAST: Balance loss, Eye changes including blurry or double vision, Facial droop or numbness, Arm weakness or numbness, Speech difficulty and Time to call 911. That last letter is not just a reminder but a directive. Not time to drive yourself. Not time to wait and see. Time to call 911, so that emergency responders can pre-alert the stroke team and shave critical minutes off the time to treatment.

And time is everything. During a stroke, approximately 1.9 million neurons die every minute. Modern medicine has transformed what is possible in those minutes, from clot-busting medications delivered intravenously to the endovascular procedures Snelling performs, physically navigating a catheter into the arteries of the brain to remove the clot directly. But all of it depends on speed.

Stroke Is Not Just a Disease of the Elderly

One of the most persistent misconceptions Snelling encounters is that stroke is something to worry about later in life. It is not. Stroke is happening in younger people at increasing rates, and the risk factors that matter most, including uncontrolled blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity, sleep apnea and atrial fibrillation, accumulate over time. The earlier those risk factors are addressed, the lower the lifetime burden.

Recovery

For patients who survive a stroke, the recovery journey begins immediately and the first six months are the most critical window for rehabilitation. The brain is remarkably plastic, Snelling explains, and aggressive early rehabilitation combined with a strong social support network gives patients the best chance of reclaiming function. Mindset, he adds, matters more than most people expect.

His parting message is as simple as it is urgent: If you or someone near you shows signs of a stroke, pick up the phone and call 911. That is it.