Angela Dione Foundation

Stroke Awareness Month

2008-05-01T08:22:00.000-07:00

Today is May 1st and it is the beginning of stroke awareness month. This month we are going to raise $50,000 to fight brain injury and stroke. We plan on getting our weekly radio show started and have found a partner for a potetntial TV segment. This month you can help by learning the warning signs and sharing with others.

If you notice one or more of these signs, don't wait. Stroke is a medical emergency. Call 9-1-1 or your emergency medical services. Get to a hospital right away!

Stroke Warning Signs

Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

Not all the warning signs occur in every stroke. Don't ignore signs of stroke, even if they go away! Check the time. When did the first warning sign or symptom start? You'll be asked this important question later.

KSBR Collage show now available as podcast.

2007-05-29T11:45:00.001-07:00

You can now listen to last nights publice affairs show on stroke in the player to the right or just click here.

The Angela Dione Foundation on Radio

2007-05-27T20:57:00.000-07:00

Collage is a public affairs show on KSBR 88.5 FM and will be airing a show on Stroke inspired by Angela. The Angela Dione Foundation worked with KSBR to produce the show and the show includes guest interviews with experts in the field of brain injury and Stroke. Mary Kay Bader from Mission Hospital and Dr. Robert Jackson one of the best neurosurgeons in the country will talk about how to prevent and get help in the event of a stroke. The shows airs May 28th in honor of Stroke Awareness Month.

Wii and Stroke

2007-05-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

The Nintendo Wii console has been incorporated into the Riley Hospital’s Tom C. Maynor Rehabilitation Center rehab program for patients who have suffered a stroke. The fact that the Wii requires the use of the whole body, balance and hand-eye coordination is ideal for stroke patients. The rather low price of the Nintendo Wii opens doors to other uses of the gaming console. Via the Meridian Star.

ChipIn

2007-05-10T12:39:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone,

We have started our first ever request for support. We are learning this year about raising money for our cause and we have launched our first ChipIn campaign. These funds will be used to help us produce our weekly media shows to promote brain injury and stroke. We want to tell the stories behind this awful tragedy and share some inspiration and hope as well as provide people some guidance on where to get some help. W ewill also be launching an auction later this year so we are currently planning that out. If you would like to volunteer please contact us as we are looking for various positions to help grow the organization to achieve our mission.

NPR show to focus on traumatic brain injuries

2007-05-07T19:24:00.000-07:00

By Kelly Kennedy - Air Force Time Staff writer

A two-hour radio program about traumatic brain injuries will feature ABC newsman Bob Woodruff as well as service members, their families and the medical staff that treated them.
At 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time tomorrow, Talk of the Nation will air live from the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. The invited audience will include patients with traumatic brain injuries and their families. Woodruff, who suffered a brain injury when his vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb in Iraq, and Navy Lt. Cmdr. Richard Jadick, a combat doctor who received a Bronze Star for his work in Iraq, will talk about their experiences.
Woodruff was treated at Bethesda. Since his injury, he has reported extensively about service members with traumatic brain injuries.
The program will also include National Naval Medical Center staff members Rear Adm. Adam Robinson, Bethesda commander; Cmdr. Jim Dunne, the lead trauma surgeon; and Dr. Maria Mouratidis, who heads the Traumatic Stress and Brain Injury Program. Doctors will explain how they treat head injuries from the moment they happen to recovery in the United States.
Listeners can call in at (800) 989-8255 or e-mail at talk@npr.org. To find a local station, visit NPR’s Web site. The program will also be available online as streaming audio.

Site updates

2007-04-09T22:06:00.000-07:00

Well we are tinkering with the site and over the next several months will continue to do so. We just added 2 cool things for you though. To the right you cna listen to our podcasts now directly in the reader and at the bottom of the page we have added a video wall. We will be updating our feeds to subscribe to oour podcasts over the next 2 weeks so please be patient as we try to get this all sorted out.

Boomers Embrace Casual Games to Keep Sharp

2007-04-05T17:50:00.000-07:00

Anxious about the mental cost of aging, older people are turning to games that rely on quick thinking to stimulate brain activity, according to the New York Times. Casual gaming site PopCap Games, for example, says last year 71 percent of its players were older than 40, and 47 percent were older than 50; moreover, 76 percent of PopCap players were women. I recently was on a casual gaming site and pondered the question "I wonder if these games can help those recovering from brain injury and stroke?" Instinctively I say the answer is yes, not scientific but I can't help but think of the kinds of exercises they had Angela doing when she was trying to recover. Read more about the boomers and games and Here is a link to some of these games.

New Audio Tool

2007-04-04T15:04:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone we now have a new tool to help you listen and share our brain injury and stroke podcasts. Scroll down and on the right you can listen right from the player. You can even add this widget to your sites to get the word out so everyone can learn and be informe about Brain Injury and Stroke.

Brain Injury and Stroke News Apr 3 2007

2007-04-04T09:41:00.000-07:00

Headlines - Brain Injury and Sleep disorders, New State of the Art Brain Rehab Center, Banyan Biomarkers appoints new board members, B Vitamins and stroke.

Listen

Evidence is growing that some B vitamins may help prevent stroke.

2007-04-03T20:16:00.000-07:00

Dietary Sources of Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, and Vitamin B12
Vitamin B6: Dietary sources include whole grains, bananas, beef, pork, beans, nuts, wheat germ, chicken, fish, and liver. Recommended intake: 1.5 mg for women age 51 and older; 1.7 mg for men age 51 and older.

Folic acid: Dietary sources include leafy greens, wheat germ, liver, beans, whole and fortified grains, broccoli, and citrus fruits. Recommended intake: 400 micrograms (mcg).
Vitamin B12: Dietary sources include liver, beef, pork, poultry, eggs, dairy products, seafood, and fortified cereals. Recommended intake: 2.4 mcg.

For more information listen to our Brain injury and Stroke podcast for April 3 or visit

Newscast for week ending March 30th 2007

2007-03-31T18:41:00.000-07:00

This weeks news cast covers a robotic arm that aids stroke recovery, which state has the highest incidence of brain injury, what diet can reduce your risk of stroke by 60% and learning to talk after stroke by singing.

Direct download: ADF_Newscast_Mar_30_07.mp3

2007-03-26T14:01:00.000-07:00

Well most of you by now are aware of the new book "You on a diet". You also are aware that diet and exercise are the most important thing you can do to prevent a stroke. Life has been a little crazy since Angela's stroke and now it's time for me to get back into my daily fitness routine. So Keep an eye out and cheer me on as I set my goal to get fit for for Stroke.

Volunteers needed

2007-03-05T21:27:00.000-08:00

We have a special need for a volunteer or two to help us with our blog. We need someone who can handle the code. If you know of anyone who may be interested please refer them. First project- get the Frappr map map up to the top of the page so everyone adds themself.

Teenager's injury a cautionary tale

2007-02-24T12:43:00.000-08:00

Hal and Alison Drew have a message for teens: You're not invincible.

For more than a week, the Drews have been keeping a vigil at their 18-year-old son's bed in Scripps Mercy Hospital's intensive-care unit. Good news came Monday for the La Mesa couple when Jake woke up from the medically induced coma he's been in since Feb. 11.

Jake's prognosis is good, but he has a long recovery ahead, his mother said. Doctors had to remove part of his skull to relieve swelling in his brain. He's breathing with the help of a ventilator. Full Story

A new use for Viagra: It could aid recovery for stroke patients

2007-02-24T12:25:00.000-08:00

Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit needs 62 more volunteers for a study to find out whether Viagra improves recovery in people with moderate symptoms from stroke within seven days or less. Work by Michael Chopp, chief of neurology at Ford, could build the basis that Viagra may have therapeutic benefits beyond treating erectile dysfunction.

Chopp's research centers on the brain's capability to form new blood vessels and nerve connections, a process known as remodeling. Dr. Brian Silver, a Ford neurologist heading the study warns people not to give Viagra to stroke patients randomly because it could cause loss of vision and other problems.

Rene Jarinski was the first Ford patient to get Viagra after she took a migraine medicine on July 28, 2003, and ended up with a rare disorder known as locked-in syndrome, a severe type of stroke. She was unable to talk or move except to nod her head slightly or to glance sideways a little. It affects about 200 people worldwide every year and often is fatal, said Silver, Jarinski's doctor.

After nine months of therapy, Jarinski is improving. She uses a computer and "is beginning to work on standing," Silver said.

By Patricia Anstett
Detroit Free Press

What are we up to?

2007-02-17T20:48:00.000-08:00

We are going to be posting to this blog weekly. We will be posting a podcast of the news and events each week and we will also post an inspirational story or podcast about brain injury or Stroke. You can support us by tuning in and giving us constant feedback about how we are helping and what else you'd like to see or hear from us. Please make sure to add yourself to the map, it is one of our favorite things to see where everyone is and how far we are reaching.

Article in Orange County Register

2007-02-17T07:54:00.000-08:00

We just received word that there will be a front page article in the Orange County register on Tuesday. Please check it out.

Visitor Map

2006-12-19T15:09:00.000-08:00

Survivors

2006-12-08T19:55:00.000-08:00

We have met so many survivors with amazing stories. Please feel free to share here.

Caregivers

2006-12-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

As a caregiver I know how difficult life can be when dealing witha loved one who has suffered a stroke or traumatic brain injury. Emotional ups and downs, small successes and great victories that far outway the dissappointments are what make it all worthwhile. Share your thoughts as a caregiver here.

Friends and Guests

2006-12-08T19:51:00.000-08:00

Please share your comments with us.