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By Christen M. Stroh

On May 19, Allegheny Health Network partnered once again with the Pittsburgh Pirates to host their third annual Strike Out Stroke event.

Strike Out Stroke's mission is to spread the FAST (Face, Arms, Speech, and Time) message across the country and greatly increase the number of stroke survivors who get to the hospital in time to get life-saving treatment. Strike Out Stroke continues to grow every summer, reaching over 20 professional baseball teams along with planning and creating new stroke awareness campaign across the country.

This year, Monessen resident Emil Crisi was featured, along with his family, during the on-field salute prior to the game. Crisi was chosen as the featured stroke survivor designated to throw out the first pitch.

Crisi, a paramedic who works for Jefferson Hospital, had a stroke at work; due to fast reactions from his co-workers and prompt medical attention that he received first at Jefferson Hospital and then at Allegheny General Hosptial, Crisi was able to recover. Just one day following his stroke, he was able to speak and started to regain the use of his right side. He was able to return home after two weeks and went back to his job in the ER in May.

Patty Noah, administrative director of the Stroke Program at Allegheny General Hospital, stated, “We chose to feature Emil not only because of his story, but also because of who he is as a person. He was a good candidate to be featured because of his quick recovery – not everyone who suffers a stroke is as fortunate – but he's just such a marvelous person. His family is marvelous as well.” Noah noted that since his stroke, Crisi has become quite an advocate for stroke education and prevention.

Jerry Shelsta, director of Strike Out Stroke, indicated that the event featuring Emil was carried out in three phases. There was distribution of stroke awareness information to the fans as part of phase 1; Emil was recognized on the field with his family as part of phase 2, with discussion of how he was treated and how he was able to back to work quickly because of his speedy treatment; and phase 3 was when Emil threw the first pitch.

Shelsta said, “Overall, our mission and goal is that we want to put a face on stroke. We want fans to understand how stroke affects many, many people. Stroke is not just for older people – there are teenagers, infants, all types of people out there. We want people to understand this and know how to respond by using the FAST approach.”

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