What happens when someone has a stroke?
A stroke is kind of a strange word for a health problem. You probably think of a stroke as something good. You might stroke your dog’s fur. Or maybe someone has told you: “That’s a stroke of good luck.” But if someone has a stroke it means something has stopped the normal blood flow to the brain. Strokes usually happen to older people, like grandparents. Kids don’t typically get them. Blood is circulating through your body all the time in tubes called arteries and veins. Usually, these blood vessels work fine and there’s no problem. That’s important because blood carries oxygen to all the cells in your body. And without oxygen, the cells would die. A stroke can happen if something keeps the blood from flowing as it should. A person might have a clogged blood vessel, so the blood can’t get through. Or a blood vessel may burst and a part of the brain is suddenly flooded with blood. Either way, with a stroke, brain cells die because they don’t get the oxygen they need. There are two main
