If you or someone you know has had a stroke, you need information. The American Heart Association Family Guide to Stroke will give you the facts you need to make the most informed health care choices. It will also give you the confidence and reassurance that there is a lot you can do to recover from this devastating event.

Most people think of stroke as a force of nature that hits without warning -- a real bolt from the blue. In fact, most strokes result from the accumulation of a lifetime's worth of daily habits, small insults that finally add up to a major, life-threatening event. The good news is that researchers have learned a great deal about the causes of stroke, and we now know that there's a lot we can do to change our lifestyles to prevent a first, or second, stroke.

The American Heart Association Family Guide to Stroke explains all these exciting new developments in treatment, recovery, and prevention. In clear, accessible language, it discusses the causes of stroke, those at risk, the warning signs, and how stroke is diagnosed. It offers practical guidance on coping with life after stroke, in both the short and long term, and reviews the most up-to-date medical treatments and rehabilitation techniques that can help stroke survivors get a fresh start.

Stroke doesn't affect just the individual; often the whole family is involved. Traditional family roles and responsibilities may shift; new family dynamics may emerge. This guide is geared toward helping all family members adjust to life after stroke. Dozens of personal stories of stroke survivors and their families underscore the importance of approaching this illness together.

The reassuring message of this guide is that you can learn to take charge of your health, obtain effective treatment, and greatly reduce the risk of having another stroke. No one whose life has been touched by stroke should be without this authoritative, indispensable sourcebook.