FOR VICE MAYOR, SIGNS OF STROKE WERE FAMILIAR
BARBARA FEDER OSTROV AND SANDRA GONZALES, Mercury News, January 29, 2004
San Jose Vice Mayor Pat Dando saw immediately that something was wrong with Mayor Ron Gonzales, something she recognized all too well. The mayor's slumping and difficulty walking off the stage during his State of the City speech were classic signs of stroke.
Dando, 57, suffered her own mild stroke in 2001.
''I immediately noticed that he was having difficulty,'' said Dando, who was sitting near Gonzales at the Center for Performing Arts. ''I mentioned to several of his staff members that the symptoms I was watching were very deja vu to when I had my illness,'' Dando said.
Strokes happen when blood vessels supplying oxygen to the brain either burst or become blocked by a clot. The brain can be damaged if it does not get the blood and oxygen it needs.
Late Wednesday night, hospital officials would not say what kind of stroke Gonzales had suffered or how it may have occurred, characterizing it only as ''an apparent mild stroke'' that needed more evaluation. It was not considered a transient ischemic attack, another event that is considered a precursor to a more damaging stroke.
Because his stroke was apparently mild, and was detected and treated quickly, Gonzales appears unlikely to suffer long-term damage.
Stroke is the third leading killer of Americans, and a major cause of severe disability in the United States. Only heart disease and cancer cause more deaths.
Every year, about 700,000 people suffer strokes, and in the year 2001, one of every 15 deaths in the United States was due to stroke, according to the American Stroke Association.
The effects of a stroke depend on the location of the obstruction and where the brain damage occurs. Stroke victims can suffer from vision problems, memory loss, paralysis or speech disorders.
Physicians can treat certain kinds of stroke with a clot-busting drug, known as tPA, which must be administered within three hours to be most effective. Other types of stroke involving burst blood vessels are sometimes treated with surgery to remove the damaged vessels.
San Jose Medical Center spokeswoman Leslie Kelsay said the clot-busting drug was not used on Gonzales and is not appropriate in all cases.
Stroke prevention treatments include aspirin and anti-coagulants like warfarin, which hamper the blood's ability to clot.
Eary signs of a stroke include trouble speaking or walking. Recognizing the early signs of a stroke can improve survival and limit stroke's devastating effects. They include sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion or trouble speaking, severe headache, and sudden trouble walking or loss of balance.
Gonzales stumbled as he approached the podium before his Wednesday evening speech, and seemed to have trouble speaking.
Several longtime associates said Gonzales has occasionally struggled with his weight but hasn't suffered from any major health problems and does not smoke. Risk factors for stroke include diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, smoking, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. Heredity also plays a role, with some families more prone to stroke.
Gonzales has been working out about three times a week at the Silicon Valley Capital Club for at least the last six months, according to Santa Clara County Assessor Larry Stone and another gym member. He's been seen riding the stationary bike.
Dando said her own stroke stumped her doctors because she doesn't smoke, isn't overweight and has no family history of strokes. She said tests later indicated that estrogen, which she had begun taking three weeks earlier, caused the stroke.
She spent a week at Good Samaritan Hospital, which has a special unit for stroke victims, and a second week at a rehabilitation center. She was fully recovered four weeks later and returned to work.
Dando said she felt confident that Gonzales would recover quickly because he went to the hospital immediately and was given treatment.
''There is every reason to expect that he will have a full recovery very soon,'' she said.
What is a stroke?
A stroke occurs when blood flow in the brain is blocked or an artery ruptures, killing cells in a particular area. Surrounding cells are stunned, unable to perform their funcitons. Additional areas connected to the injured region stop working when they cannot receive messages.
Source: Dr. Dennis Feeney, University of Mexico; New York Times
SIGNS OF STROKE:
Sudden numbness or weaknes of the face, arm or leg, especially onone side of the body
Sudden confusion or trouble speaking
Severe headache
Sudden trouble walking or loss of balance | 
