3 LOCAL LEADERS TEAM TO TACKLE STROKE
SUFFERERS USE CLOUT: FOUNDATION'S ADVOCACY FOR STROKE TREATMENT AND EDUCATION GETS BOOST
Julie Sevrens Lyons, Mercury News, March 11, 2005

It may have been a stroke of luck that Pat Dando had a stroke three years ago. Or that Chuck Toeniskoetter suffered one at a Bear Valley ski resort. Or that Chuck Hoffman suddenly went numb -- half his body temporarily paralyzed -- while driving his car nearly a decade ago.

While stroke -- the nation's third-leading cause of death -- is not a condition to wish upon anyone, local patient advocates say they are thankful, in a way, that a ``brain attack'' befell all three.

That's because former San Jose Vice Mayor Dando and the two Chucks, both forceful businessmen, have since teamed up to form the Stroke Awareness Foundation, a powerful local advocacy group credited with advancing the state of stroke treatment in Silicon Valley.

Making it their mission to educate the community on the widely misunderstood medical emergency, they helped spur three hospitals in Santa Clara County to become certified stroke centers at a time when 21 states still have none.

They anticipate that later this year, Kaiser Permanente Medical Center-Santa Teresa will join Stanford University Hospital, San Jose's Columbia Good Samaritan Hospital and Kaiser-Santa Clara hospital in the ranks of designated stroke centers. The distinction requires that hospitals prove they have the staffing, equipment and skill to provide ``exceptional'' treatment for stroke patients.

Since the three launched their foundation less than three years ago, they have also landed numerous grants and contributions totaling more than $500,000 to help support their cause. And they are close to getting area ambulance services and medical centers to divert stroke patients to designated stroke centers rather than the nearest hospital, something that hasn't been easy to do.

Accomplished goals

"I spent 3 1/2 years trying to accomplish these same goals," said Dr. Greg Albers, director of the Stanford Stroke Center and head of a now-defunct American Heart Association committee called Operation Stroke.

"They have been able to do," Albers said, "what the American Heart Association couldn't."

Those who know the three say they aren't surprised.

Dando was recently appointed Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's director of local government affairs. Toeniskoetter is a high-powered real estate developer and investor. And Hoffman, a retired businessman, has been active in the Rotary Club. They know how to get things done.

But their third goal -- ``educating the public about strokes so that stroke symptoms will be quickly recognized and emergency medical services will be called immediately'' -- may be their loftiest, perhaps even out of reach.

"I still think the majority of people are in denial about it," said Dr. Harmeet Sachdev, director of the stroke center at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, one of the first hospitals in the country to be certified as a primary stroke site.

The vast majority of Americans cannot name a single stroke symptom, according to the National Stroke Association. And most people who experience one wait 12 to 24 hours before they seek treatment. A life-saving, brain-sparing drug is recommended as a treatment only if given within three hours for some types of stroke, though a study last year by Stanford's Albers suggested it may work for up to 4 1/2 hours.

In August, the FDA added a device made by Mountain View-based Concentric Medical to the treatment armory. It is an option for some stroke patients who miss the brief window for the drug.

Dando, Hoffman and Toeniskoetter have enlisted the likes of former 49ers coach Bill Walsh to join their cause. They will host a special Texas hold 'em poker tournament Saturday at the San Jose Fairmont to raise money for their foundation. An estimated 100 valley leaders will each ante up a minimum of $1,000 for the fundraising efforts to play in what is expected to be an annual event.

Expanding reach

And being what some might call overachievers, the foundation has recently added a fourth objective: To take what they've done and replicate it at the state and national level.

"This should be done everywhere," said Toeniskoetter, who credits a quick-thinking paramedic who diverted him to a stroke center in Roseville with saving his life. "I hope the things we've done here will allow every stroke victim to have the same opportunities I have had. If I can do that, I'm going to be the happiest guy in the country."

IF YOU'RE INTERESTED

For more information on Saturday's stroke awareness fundraiser, go to www.strokeinfo.org or call program manager Sherry Simmons at (408) 879-8433.