The annual Stroke Symposium takes place on Friday, May 16, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. at Mayo Regional Hospital in Dover-Foxcroft. The event is also offered that day at Eastern Maine Medical Center and St. Joseph Hospital in Bangor, Mount Desert Island Hospital in Bar Harbor and Houlton Regional Hospital.

Tickets are $10 for individuals, $15 for couples. Financial assistance is available. To receive a registration pamphlet, call the American Heart Association at 1-800-937-0944, or contact Cathy Murray in Mayo's Education Department at 564-4242.

The Stroke Symposium will be held in Mayo's Resource Center conference area and includes a heart healthy lunch, featured speakers and helpful material designed to educate and inspire stroke survivors, family members, caregivers and healthcare providers. Featured presentations and topics are "Coping With Life's Changes After Stroke," "Showing You Care: A Discussion of Intimacy and Sexuality," and "Finding Support...Asking for Help." Attendees can also learn about special services close to home. Kay Wyman, a representative of the Penquis area Brain Injury Support Group, will talk about the new local area support available. Gail Drasby and Leslie Lizotte, licensed social workers from the Eastern Agency on Aging, will have a table and discuss services they provide in Piscataquis County.

Every 53 seconds, someone in America has a stroke. Stroke is the #3 killer in Maine, and is the leading cause of severe, long-term disability. Yet a recent American Stroke Association survey disclosed that more than 40% of Americans cannot identify any signs or symptoms of stroke. The Association hopes to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of stroke and recognition that it is a 911 medical emergency.

Warning signs of stroke include sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion or trouble speaking or understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; and sudden severe headache with no known cause. Receiving treatment within three hours can greatly reduce the risk of permanent damage.