When Ohio U.S. Representative Joyce Beatty was 50, she had a stroke and she was able to make a full recovery. Ever since, she has been an advocate for creating awareness for stroke victims. If things go her way, the month of May will soon become Stoke Awareness Month.

Earlier this month, Beatty introduced a bill to designate May as Stroke Awareness Month, with Representative Pat Tiberi co-sponsoring the bill.

Beatty explains how she, “as a stroke survivor, I understand the magnitude of this disease and its often-life-changing effects.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control, one person in the world dies from stroke every four minutes, and one person every 40 seconds in the United States. Strokes claim roughly 130,000 Americans each year, making strokes the fifth leading cause of death in the United States.

Of course, The National Stroke Association and The American Heart Association / American Stroke Association back Beatty’s efforts and bill, as well as a bipartisan coalition of 16 Members of Congress. Columbus movers hope that our state representative’s bill gets passed and that stroke victims can gain more awareness and spread knowledge throughout the month of May.