Symptoms of Stroke-and What to Do

The five most common signs and symptoms of stroke are:

1. Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg.
2. Sudden confusion or trouble speaking or understanding others.
3. Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
4. Sudden dizziness, trouble walking, or loss of balance or coordination.
5. Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

There are two types of stroke. Either type of stroke can cause brain cells to die quickly.

1. An ischemic stroke occurs when a clot blocks the blood supply to the brain. Ischemic strokes are the most common type of stroke. A "mini-stroke," or transient ischemic attack (TIA), occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted only briefly.
2. A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain bursts.

If you or someone you know shows any symptoms of a stroke, get to a hospital quickly to begin treatment. Medical personnel will try to stop an ischemic stroke while it is happening by quickly dissolving the blood clot or by stopping the bleeding. For hemorrhagic stroke, immediate surgery may be needed to prevent re-bleeding or other complications, which can lead to serious disability or death in 40% to 60% of cases.

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ABOUT NATIONAL POLICE WEEK

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15th as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week. Currently, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world converge on Washington, DC to participate in a number of planned events which honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice.

The Memorial Service began in 1982 as a gathering in Senate Park of approximately 120 survivors and supporters of law enforcement. Decades later, the event, more commonly known as National Police Week, has grown to a series of events which attracts thousands of survivors and law enforcement officers to our Nation's Capital each year.   

Since our nation was founded, over 20,000 peace officers have been killed in the line of duty.   In 1991,  President  George Bush dedicated the National Law  Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington D.C.  It honors all of America's federal, state and local law enforcement officers who have been killed in the line of duty since the first known officer's death in 1792. 

Five Sunnyvale officers have died in the line of duty since 1950, when the Public Safety Department was created.  They are remembered annually.

PSO Charles Fraker, 25 years old and a two-year veteran, died from injuries suffered while fighting a fire on August 1, 1976.  

PSO Edward Roth, 44 years old and a sixteen-year veteran, died from injuries suffered while fighting a fire on November 29, 1980.

PSO Manuel Lopez, 29 years old and an eight-year veteran, was killed in a traffic accident on March 3, 1987.  

Youth programs-which include sports, scouting, recreation, camps, after-school programs, and religious programs-can provide fulfilling experiences that help young people develop new skills and master challenges. They also provide a safe place for youth outside of school where they can be in contact with caring non-parent adults. Research shows that the developmental asset of participation in youth programs results in increased self-esteem; better development of life skills, leadership skills, and public speaking abilities; fewer psychosocial problems such as loneliness, shyness, and hopelessness; decreased risk behaviors; and more thriving indicators.      

On April 8, the California Chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD) held its annual recognition luncheon, honoring the officers in Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Francisco Counties for their efforts during 2013 in combatting drunk driving. Officers leading their agencies in DUI arrests from these three counties were presented awards for their efforts.  

The Master of Ceremonies was John Sasaki from KTVU Channel 2 News. Prior to the awards being handed out, the parents of Scott Leister gave an emotional account of the devastating affects drunk driving has on people's lives. Scott Leister was a 21 year-old college student whose life ended on the Bay Bridge five years ago when the vehicle he was riding in was rear-ended by a drunk driver traveling at 80 miles per hour. As the Leisters pointed out, we will never know for sure, but each DUI arrest the officers made could very well have prevented a family from suffering the pain and loss they suffered when their son was killed by the drunk driver.

Sunnyvale DPS honorees for their DUI efforts in 2013 were PSO Matthew Hutchison (55 arrests), PSO Michael Santiago (28 arrests), PSO JW Carrell and PSO Rene Fernandez (26 arrests each), and Lt. Ryan Yin for his efforts on focusing his officers on DUI enforcement and setting the example by making many DUI-related stops himself. PSO Hutchison's 55 arrests were the third highest for agencies in Santa Clara County (excluding CHP).  

Neighborhood Preservation (NP) staff is pro-active in its efforts to manage graffiti vandalism, but needs your help to quickly and effectively remove graffiti throughout the city. Remember, it only takes a few minutes for vandalism to occur. Our best defense is to remove graffiti quickly. Working together on graffiti abatement can lead to a more efficient, creative, and empowered work force that produces higher quality and more responsive public services.

If you see graffiti on private property, report it immediately to the NP Unit at (408) 730-7610 or by e-mail: np@sunnyvale.ca.gov. NP staff will then notify the property/business owner to remove the graffiti by a given deadline. If the graffiti is not removed by the deadline, staff will issue administrative citations until it is removed.

If you see graffiti on city/public property, report it to the Graffiti Hotline at (408) 730-7680. Staff from the Department of Public Works will remove it. Graffiti on cable boxes, mailboxes, etc. will be referred to the appropriate agency for removal. When reporting graffiti, provide the address of the property where the graffiti is located. If no address is available, provide details such as an intersection or business name of where the graffiti is located.

On Saturday, April 26, the City of Sunnyvale held the annual Fit and Fun Fair at the ColumbiaNeighborhood Center. The event is coordinated by the Department of Library and Community Services in conjunction with the Department of Public Safety for the purpose of promoting a healthy lifestyle. Over 60 volunteers also assisted in the success of the event. Additionally, 60 vendor booths, providing a variety of health and fitness information were present at the fair.

In conjunction with a Traffic Safety Grant, 90 bicycle helmets were given out to underprivileged youth. Calabazas Cycle inspected 30 bicycles and conducted numerous safety repairs, including the issuance of 16 safety lights. Forty-one child car seats were inspected and 18 were replaced after being deemed unsafe. It is estimated that approximately 1,000 residents and guests attended the fair throughout the day.

Sunnyvale PAL's Junior Giants program has won accolades for its first season! Each year, surveys are taken of parents, coaches and players at the start and end of the season, rating behaviors tied to the four bases of character development: Confidence, Integrity, Leadership and Teamwork. Out of 87 Junior Giants leagues in California, Oregon and Nevada, Sunnyvale ranked number 5 and was given recognition at the recent Commissioners meeting at AT&T Park. The Junior Giants team is proud of our inaugural year success. The Junior Giants program was started by the SF Giants in 1994 to give boys and girls an opportunity to play baseball while learning important life lessons. Education, violence prevention, and health and wellness are woven throughout the eight-week season, with volunteer coaches and team parents providing information to the players using a well-designed curriculum developed by the Junior Giants. Team members are required to read every week to gain points and prizes, and this year, teams will be given books to share. Two hundred new books are being donated by the Hoopoe Books Share Literacy program, and gently used books will be provided by Columbia Neighborhood's Community Advisory Committee.

Participants develop healthy eating habits through appropriate snacks, and they perform stretching and warm-up exercises before games and practices. Each player signs a Peace Pledge and is given an orange wristband with the message "Strike Out Bullying." Support and encouragement of teammates is modeled by the coaches, and teams have the opportunity to enter an anti-bullying poster contest.  

Junior Giants is fun and rewarding for the coaches, who get to see the players improve their baseball skills while learning how to improve as a person. Local teachers have said that they can tell which students were in Junior Giants over the summer because of improved confidence, reading ability, and behavior. Coaches are still needed to ensure that there are enough teams for all the boys and girls who want to play. You don't need to know a lot about baseball, just have the desire to mentor youth while having a great time. The Giants run coaching clinics and provide excellent materials for each team. Additional support at practices and games is available by staff from the Junior Giants and Sunnyvale PAL. If you would like to coach and be a part of this successful program, contact Ross Spencer, League Commissioner, at Ross@SunnvyalePAL.com. Indicate your preference for coaching Division I: 5 - 7 year old; Division II: 8 - 10 year old; or Division III: 11 to 13 year old. A background check and fingerprinting are required for all coaches.