Event promotes good health
By SEAN BARRON
YOUNGSTOWN
In June 2008, Myrtis Thornton realized shortly after applying makeup to her face that she suddenly had no control over her right hand and left leg.
Soon after that shocking revelation, Thornton’s speech and handwriting deteriorated, prompting the concern of several friends and family members.
“My son grabbed me and said, ‘We’re going [to the hospital] now,’” said Thornton, recalling the stroke she suffered while preparing to attend a funeral.
The Boardman woman shared her frightening story during a 30-minute workshop on stroke and diabetes prevention that was part of Saturday’s three-hour “Step in the Name of Love” health fair at Williamson Elementary School, 58 Williamson Ave., on the city’s South Side.
The free program, sponsored by the Youngstown Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc., featured line dancing, medical screenings, workshops, healthy foods, nutritional tips and massages — all to promote good health practices.
Thanks largely to early treatment, Thornton quickly recovered. Several days after the stroke, Thornton’s speech and ambulatory abilities were nearly normal, she recalled.
Thornton was one of a dozen people who attended the seminar led by Gwen Montgomery, a registered nurse with Forum Health Northside Medical Center.
Top risk factors for stroke include high blood pressure and cholesterol, heart disease, diabetes and smoking, Montgomery noted.
Common signs are facial droop, numbness and weakness in the arms, and slurred or hard-to- understand speech, she continued.
“I can’t stress it enough: Get [to a hospital], no matter how minor it seems,” Montgomery implored.
Extreme hunger, fatigue and irritability, as well as frequent urination and unusual thirst and weight loss are warning signs of diabetes, which results when the pancreas stops producing enough insulin, she said.
Those with hyperglycemia (too much sugar) should exercise carefully, monitor glucose levels, modify diets and see the doctor regularly, Montgomery told her audience.
Several people took advantage of free blood-pressure screenings given by Lynn Veal, president of the 18-member Youngstown-Warren Black Nurses Association.
Veal and other nurses also were on hand to administer glucose checks.
The incidence of stroke is high in the black community, which Veal said still sees certain disparities in treatment for strokes and other diseases.
That’s partly because some blacks are afraid to see a doctor because of the lack of health-care coverage or a bad experience, she contended.
Nevertheless, “Don’t let any past experience stop you; go now,” Veal said, adding that a healthy step is to reduce the intake of fried foods.
Many people of all ages enjoyed line dancing, and others perused information on sickle-cell anemia and took pamphlets from the American Heart Association and a diabetes-prevention program called Stepping Out.
Also available were packets from “50 Million Pound Challenge,” an online weight-loss program sponsored by State Farm Insurance.
Participants are given healthy recipes and ways to track their weight, noted Kathy Casey, a local State Farm agent.
For more information online, go to www.50millionpounds.com.
Health and wellness, childhood obesity and mental-health issues are among the main topics the Youngstown Alumnae chapter focuses on, noted Marcia Haire-Ellis, president.
In addition to being fun, line dancing is a form of aerobic exercise that can be highly beneficial if adopted as a lifestyle, Haire-Ellis explained, adding that more people need to work collectively to combat many health problems in the black community.
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority is a public-service organization founded in 1913 at Howard University in Washington, D.C.
It has roughly 250,000 members all over the world, Haire-Ellis said.