A brain stroke is a traffic jam in the pipes that feed the brain. When a clot blocks a pipe or a pipe bursts, brain cells start to choke within minutes. The body flashes a short, clear list of warning signs that anyone can spot.

The first sign is sudden face droop. One side of the mouth or eyelid sags like wax melting. Ask the person to smile; the grin comes up crooked or does not come up at all.

Arm drift is next. Hold both arms out and count to ten. One arm sinks, turns inward, or feels numb. The person may say the arm “isn’t mine” or “feels asleep from the shoulder down.”

Speech slips. Simple words turn into mush, or the right word pops out as the wrong one. A man may ask for “glasses” when he wants “gloves,” or his sentence stops mid-air like a broken record.

Sight can vanish in one eye. A woman may cover first one eye, then the other, and notice half the room is missing, as if someone pulled down a window shade. Others see double, like a blurry photo that won’t line up.

Balance drops fast. A steady walker may lurch sideways, grab walls, or fall while standing still. The room isn’t spinning; the brain just lost its map of where the floor is.

A sudden, thunderclap headache can top it off. It hits like a kick in the head, worst ever felt, and may bring neck stiffness or vomiting. Many say it woke them from sleep.