On the evening of March 14, Sam Savini was looking forward to playing a round of golf with a friend the next day. The next day his golfing buddy called and knew something was wrong. Savini answered the phone, but had trouble speaking. Bebee Savini, who was looking after her grandchildren in San Francisco at the time, called their friend back and had him call 911. She then returned to Reno as quickly as she could.
Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States behind heart disease and cancer.
About 72 percent of strokes occur in people ages 65 and older. Stroke is also a leading cause of serious, long-term disability and premature permanent disability among working adults. In Nevada, stroke is the fourth leading cause of death, accounting for 795 of 14,180 deaths in 1998. It is also the fourth leading cause of death in Washoe County, accounting for 149 of 2,567 deaths. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is blocked by a clot or bursts.