Stroke: A Life-Changing Event IntroductionAccording to the American Stroke Association, someone dies every four minutes from a stroke (American Stroke Association, 2014). This can be devastating to loved ones who survive the victim. Surviving a stroke requires a tremendous amount of therapy and willpower to overcome the disabilities and challenges that arise after a stroke. The main reason I chose to write about stroke is because I lost two important people in my life due to complications from a stroke. . My paternal grandmother is the first of whom suffered a thromboembolic stroke during mitral valve replacement surgery, and the other is my maternal great-grandmother who suffered an ischemic stroke. Both of these strong women had severe deficits including the inability to walk, feed themselves, and, in my paternal grandmother's case, breathe independently without the use of a ventilator. Mortality Unfortunately, Oklahoma does not fare well when it comes to stroke. . According to the American Heart Association (AHA), 1,980 people in Oklahoma died of stroke in 2010, making stroke the fifth leading cause of death in Oklahoma (AHA, 2013). There are many reasons why Oklahoma has such a high risk of stroke. Our population likes to smoke, eat a high-fat diet and be sedentary. These three things combined are a deadly combination. The chemicals in cigarettes cause significant hardening of the arteries which in turn increases blood pressure and increases the risk of having a stroke. When it comes to those fried foods that everyone loves, there is an excess of cholesterol that clogs our arteries making it more difficult for blood to reach vital organs. Lastly, when will our bodies… center of paper… stop using tobacco and the third is to protect all Oklahomans from exposure to secondhand smoke. (p. 13) In conclusion, stroke radically changes the life not only of the person but of the entire family. Stroke remains one of the most common ways for an Oklahoma resident to die. There are many things Oklahomans can do to avoid suffering a stroke, but overcoming one requires great determination. Risk factors include smoking, a high-fat diet, and a sedentary lifestyle are all modifiable risk factors. A significant demographic in Oklahoma is the amount of women. Unfortunately, they are at greater risk of dying from a stroke than men. Healthy People 2020 set goals to reduce the number of people using tobacco products to improve the health of the United States. So I leave you with this: Don't smoke, exercise every day, and skip fast food.