One of the nicest people I have worked with in the past 16 years is Matsushita-Sensei ,a vice-principal at one of the local junior high schools.Friendly,funny,easy to talk to,caring,compassionate,interesting,witty,energetic....the list could go on and on.He is the kind of person to remember names and the names of family members so when I was absent due to Annie's sickness,he always asked after her by name.He also spent 3 years teaching at one of the Japanese Schools in Indonesia which made him pretty aware of the challenges I face every day as a foreigner living and working in a foreign country.Little things but they do make a difference and it is not surprising that he is probably one of the most popular teachers I have known;popular amongst not only the student body but also the staff and parents alike.

Last Wednesday,Matsushita-Sensei woke up at 5am with a blinding headache.By 7am,he had been rushed to hospital after suffering a massive stroke.On Sunday afternoon,his life support machine was switched off.

He was just 48.

There are no words to describe how we all feel ;"devastated"doesn't really come close.His wake was last night and funeral is today.As so many will attend,the family have hired the biggest funeral hall to cope .I hope that the sheer number of people will be of some comfort to his family.

Just minutes before I got the news of Matsushita-Sensei's death on Sunday,I received a forwarding mail from my friend in New Zealand.The timing was so apt and I ask you to take a minute to read through part of the mail :

STROKE IDENTIFICATION:

During a BBQ, a friend stumbled and took a little fall - she assured everyone that she was fine (they offered to call paramedics) .she said she had just tripped over a brick because of her new shoes.They got her cleaned up and got her a new plate of food. While she appeared a bit shaken up, Ingrid went about enjoying herself the rest of the evening.Ingrid's husband called later telling everyone that his wife had been taken to the hospital - (at 6:00 pm Ingrid passed away.) She had suffered a stroke at the BBQ.

Had they known how to identify the signs of a stroke, perhaps Ingrid would be with us today. Some don't die.... they end up in a helpless, hopeless condition instead.It only takes a minute to read this...

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE Remember the '3' steps, STR . Read and Learn!Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

S.... Ask the individual to SMILE.
T..... Ask the person to TALK and SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently, e.g. It is sunny out today)
R ....Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call 999 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

New Sign of a Stroke -- Stick out Your Tongue NOTE: Ask the person to 'stick' out his tongue. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other,that is also an indication of a stroke.

Thank you.