When a stroke paralyzed Bob Mandell 19 years ago, he couldn’t speak.
“I couldn’t get two words out,” he said.
Now, the Naples resident can’t talk and learn enough about the disease. One month ago, he completed writing a book “Stroke Victor: How To Go from Stroke Victim to Stroke Victor.”
While he told his story of going from stroke victim to stroke victor, he also brought out eye-opening information including:
- Federal spending for stroke research doesn’t rank in the top 10 among diseases despite being the No. 1 long-term disabler and the No. 5 killer.
- Almost 80 percent of strokes are preventable if people had better diets and exercised more.
- More than 1/3 or 34 percent of strokes happen before age 65.
“Cancer is a hurricane, stroke is a tornado,” Mandell said. “It comes out of nowhere. Stroke also is an underserved disease. It’s an orphan disease. It’s part cardiology, part neurology. There’s not much privately funded research in strokes and some government research.”
Mandell will talk about his book, which he hopes will be the first of several launch receptions, Sunday at the Sanibel Community House on Sanibel. He’ll also talk about The Stroke Research Foundation, a charitable 501c3 organization for the purpose of increasing post-stroke rehabilitation options to dramatically improve post-stroke lifestyles today.