KIMT NEWS 3 – Fans continue to mourn the loss of Luke Perry, who died after suffering a massive stroke.

Medical professionals are viewing it as an unfortunate wake up call for everyone to know the signs if you’re having one.

An easy acronym to remember the symptoms is FAST.

We first told you about Bruce Schmoll last May. He had a stroke last March when he was shaving, and credits his strong recovery to knowing the symptoms.

“My wife came into the bathroom and fortunately she recognized the early symptoms of having a stroke and that led to putting a lot of things in motion that ultimately led to my recovery,” Schmoll said.

Dr. Robert Brown is a professor of neurology at Mayo Clinic, and says timing is critical.

“Just by knowing the symptoms of stroke. If you see that either in yourself or your coworker or loved one. If you recognize that and call for emergency medical care, we may be able to treat it that much more quickly and lessen the likelihood that they would have a disabling stroke or even one that results in death,” Brown said.

An easy acronym to remember the symptoms is FAST.

F – FACE: Is your face drooping or weak?
A – ARMS: Are your arms weak?
S – SPEECH: Is your speech slurred?
T – TIME: Time matters when treating a stroke. Act fast. Call for help as soon as possible.