Baptist Health Paducah to host 3rd Spokes for Strokes bike tour

Baptist Health Paducah stroke nursing director Mary Legge, RN, isn’t a cyclist, but she still sees the benefits of the hospital’s annual Spokes for Strokes bike tour.

Baptist Health Paducah will host its third Spokes for Strokes bike tour on Saturday, June 7, to raise stroke awareness, along with funds for life-saving technologies and expanded stroke care services.

Legge said more stroke patients are returning home to active lifestyles, thanks in part to increased community awareness. One former patient just returned from a cruise, not even a year after experiencing a paralyzing stroke. She received the clot-busting drug tPA after paramedics brought her to Baptist Health Paducah. The drug may reduce or reverse stroke damage if administered within the first three hours of a stroke.

“Her husband had heard of the clot-buster and got her here in time,” said Legge, the stroke team leader. “It gives you hope when you see awareness increase. You feel great for that patient and family.”

Spokes for Strokes will begin at 7 a.m. with registration at Baptist Health Imaging Center on the west end of campus at 2705 Kentucky Ave., followed by the tour at 8 a.m. Registration at active.com is $25 for an individual, $40 for couples and $50 for a family of four.

The bike tour offers 10-, 35- or 65-mile rides through southern McCracken, Marshall and Graves counties. The longest ride includes challenging hills and four rest stops. The 35-mile ride is less hilly with four rest stops. The short ride is completely flat and stays in McCracken County. It includes one rest stop. All rides will be followed by support vehicles. Helmets are required.

Stroke is the one of the nation’s leading killers and the leading cause of serious, long-term disability. Baptist is Kentucky’s only certified stroke center west of Owensboro and a recent recipient of The Get With the Guidelines^®–Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award for commitment and success in meeting national guidelines for stroke care.

“We will continue to focus on public education, so people of all ages know they should call 9-1-1 immediately if they see anyone experiencing signs of a stroke,” said Joseph Ashburn, M.D., stroke center director. “Time saved is brain saved, so if they seek immediate treatment, the effects of stroke may be reduced or even reversed.”