FAST action saves lives

Mike and Max Pozzo pictured together in 2025. supplied

Learning the signs of stroke helped eight-year-old Max save his dad

“9-1-1, what is your emergency?”

For incoming emergency calls, concise information is of the essence, so hearing a child’s voice cut in on the other end of the line can potentially be challenging. But in one instance in February 2018 in Calgary, the eight-year-old caller knew exactly what to do.

With the dispatcher listening along, Max Pozzo instructed his father, Mike, to lift both of his arms up high and to smile. Then, Max remarked, “He is kind of having a stroke.”

Looking back, Max says that while the situation was chaotic and scary, “I remembered what we learned in school [about the FAST signs of stroke].” Less than a week prior to his dad’s emergency, he had attended an educational assembly as part of Heart & Stroke’s Jump Rope for Heart program.

FAST is a mnemonic that outlines the most common signs of stroke. It stands for: Face – is it drooping? Arms – can you raise them? Speech – is it jumbled or slurred? T – time to call 9-1-1.

Max and Mike Pozzo pictured together in 2018 after Mike’s stroke. supplied

“I asked my dad to do the three tests – for face, arms and speech – and he checked all the boxes, so I knew I needed to get help,” says Max.

Max’s familiarity with the signs of stroke enabled him to recognize that his dad was experiencing a medical emergency. According to Heart & Stroke, recognizing the signs and seeking immediate emergency care can mean the difference between life and death, or the difference between a better recovery and lasting disability, hence the expression that with stroke, “time is brain.” That’s why it is critical to call 9-1-1 in the event of a stroke as lifesaving care begins in that moment – and paramedics will drive to the closest hospital that provides urgent stroke care.

Thanks to Max’s quick action, Mike was rushed by ambulance to the hospital, where he received a clot-busting drug: a treatment that can reduce the severity and reverse some effects of stroke when given within a few hours of symptoms beginning. He then spent months undergoing rehabilitation, having lost about 80 per cent of motor function in his left arm and leg.

In June that year, Mike was able to return to his work as a Calgary firefighter – right in time for Father’s Day.

“I was fortunate that Max knew what to do, and I’m very grateful to be where I am today,” says Mike, who was able to make a full recovery. “None of this would have been possible without donations to Heart & Stroke.”

The Jump Rope for Heart program where Max learned these lifesaving skills was made possible by a legacy gift from Saskatchewan-based donors Michael and Victoria Shalapata, who requested their funds support children’s health education.

“A legacy donor saved my life,” Mike adds.

Donations help drive lifesaving impact

“Max and Mike’s story is one of many examples of the lifesaving impact that donations to Heart & Stroke have,” says Avril Goffredo, executive vice president, marketing and fundraising at Heart & Stroke. “Donations help us drive our mission forward; they fund critical research, advocacy and education for promoting health, saving lives and enhancing recovery.”

Current priority areas for Heart & Stroke include transforming the stroke system and care, preventing the surge of heart failure, improving cardiac arrest survival rates, championing lifelong care for people living with congenital heart disease, and fighting for healthier generations.

To learn more about the ways to give to Heart & Stroke, visit heartandstroke.ca/waystogive.

To view this report on The Globe's website, visit globeandmail.com

To view the full report as it appeared in The Globe's print edition Stroke Awareness Month