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Stroke of inspiration
Kirk Franklin uses tour to fight disease
Kirk Franklin's "Fight of Our Life Health Concert Tour" comes to the Mabee Center on Friday.
Courtesy
By MATT GLEASON World Scene Writer
Published: 7/23/2009 2:24 AM
Last Modified: 7/23/2009 3:41 AM
Kirk Franklin is "the biggest selling contemporary gospel artist in the history of SoundScan," according to press material. He's sold 14 million albums and has scored more than 20 No. 1 singles on gospel radio.
So Franklin has the clout to come to Tulsa and literally change lives — and hearts — as spokesman for the American Heart Association's "The Power to End Stroke Movement."
Franklin's "Fight of Our Life Health Concert Tour" comes to the Mabee Center on Friday night. During the event, St. John Medical Center nurses will conduct blood-pressure tests and provide information about stroke warning signs.
As the Movement's spokesman, Franklin aims to reverse these types of stroke statistics from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association:
"Stroke is the third-leading cause of death and a leading cause of long-term disability among African Americans in Oklahoma, claiming nearly 800 lives each year. They have almost twice the risk of first-ever strokes as compared to whites, and African-Americans ages 35-54 years-old have four times the relative risk of stroke."
Franklin's fans often thank him for spreading the word about stroke prevention, he said.
"People say, 'I just didn't know those stats,' " Franklin said in a recent telephone interview. " 'I didn't know how serious this issue is. And I didn't realize that how I eat and how I live is just putting me in a dangerous position.' "
Dr. Justin P. Thankachan, who is a part of St. John's stroke team, commended Franklin for bringing his message to Tulsa.
"He's giving a wonderful opportunity not only to share and spread the gospel of Jesus Christ," Thankachan said, "but to also take that time to talk about other aspects of our lives that are just as important."
Dr. Thankachan
on stroke prevention
“There are lot of things that cause
stroke in African-Americans. Some
of those you can’t change, such as
age, race, your past medical history,
family history and your sex, such
as men having more strokes than
females.
“But there are risk factors that you
can: Smoking, high cholesterol, high
blood pressure, diabetes, obesity,
lack of exercise.
“Those six areas are where
African-Americans should put their
focus on in preventing stroke.”
Suddenly stricken
Stroke warning signs hit unexpectedly:
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg,
especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden difficulty walking, dizziness, loss of balance or
coordination
- Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
Call 911 immediately if you suspect a stroke. If given
within three hours of the start of symptoms, a clot-busting
drug called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) can
reduce long-term disability for the most common type of
stroke.
Source: American Stroke Association, a division of American
Heart Association
KIRK FRANKLIN
When: 7:30 p.m. Friday
Where: Mabee Center, 7777 S. Lewis Ave.
Admission: $15, tulsaworld.com/mabee, (918)
495-6000
for more
To learn more, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or visit
americanheart.org or strokeassociation.org.
Matt Gleason 581-8473
matt.gleason@tulsaworld.com
By MATT GLEASON World Scene Writer
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