The American Heart Association has named Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP the winner of the 2011 Lawyers With Heart challenge, as part of the Nashville Heart Walk campaign just completed. The firm raised  the highest total of any firm competing, contributing $11,116 to the American Heart Association’s research, education and community outreach programs.

The Nashville Heart Walk campaign has raised more than $1.55 million this year, a record amount for the market.

Headquartered in Nashville, law firm Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis, LLP, is comprised of nearly 200 lawyers and works in transactional, regulatory and litigation issues for a variety of industries.

The American Heart Association’s mission is building healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. For more information, visit www.heart.org.

Murfreesboro, TN - On Saturday, May 14 from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Middle Tennessee Medical Center (MTMC) and Stones River Grill are hosting a benefit meal for the American Diabetes Association by donating 10 percent of the day’s proceeds to MTMC’s fundraising goal for diabetes. Stones River Grill is located at 1443 NW Broad Street in Murfreesboro and offers classic Southern-style breakfast and lunch options.

The Diabetes Center at MTMC is the local presenting sponsor of the American Diabetes Association’s Tour de Cure which is a bicycling fundraising event for diabetes research, education and prevention. Each year, MTMC forms a team to ride in the Tour de Cure and raise funds for the American Diabetes Association. For more information, call (615)396-6123 or visit www.diabetes.org/tour and choose the Nashville, Tenn. division event.

American Diabetes Association’s Signature Fundraising Event

STOP!! What you don’t know could kill you. 1 in 5 Americans are at high risk for developing diabetes. You might not know it, but you can find out if you’re one of them with a simple diabetes risk test. Then you can take the step to delay or even prevent a disease that kills more Americans every year than breast cancer and AIDS combined. Know your risk. TAKE THE TEST, available at www.diabetes.org and stopdiabetes.com.

As diabetes continues to grow, there are 25.8 million individuals in the US who are battling diabetes including approximately 600,000 Tennesseans. In addition, there are nearly 79 million Americans who have pre-diabetes. There is a new diabetes diagnosis every 21 seconds. The American Diabetes Association is requesting you to “Start a Chain Reaction” by participating in our signature fundraising event, The Middle Tennessee Tour de Cure on Saturday May 21st. You can join the movement to STOP DIABETES simply by riding a bike.

The Tour de Cure is a one day cycling event geared to all cyclists from the beginning rider to the avid cyclist. Teams and families participate in areas such as Rutherford, Bedford, Marshall, and Williamson Counties showing their love for cycling and their dedication to finding a cure for diabetes. There are four routes to choose from with distances of 10, 30, 62, and 100 miles. There will also be a 2 mile ride within Barfield Crescent Park.

The ride will start off at the Barfield Crescent Park in Murfreesboro, Tennessee and afterwards you can enjoy a great meal, massage, music, and kids activities. The routes will be supported this year with rest stops, SAG vehicles, bike mechanics, EMTs and a full time ambulance.

The Middle Tennessee Tour de Cure is presented by the Diabetes Center at Middle Tennessee Medical Center. Our Corporate chair is Mr. Gordon Ferguson, CEO of MTMC. Other Sponsors include Murfreesboro Medical Clinic, Jack-Fm, Comcast, The Daily News Journal, General Mills, WGNS, The Steve Gill Show, Lynskey Performance, Murfreesboro Outdoor and Bike, and Cumberland Transit.

If you have either Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes you are a Red Rider! We recognize our Red Riders for their courage in fighting this disease. Team Red consists of Red Riders and anyone that wants to ride in support of Red Riders. Anyone can join Team Red. You or your team can register at www.diabetes.org/tour. Please contact Greg Lessley, American Diabetes Association at 615-298-3066 ext. x3331 for interviews or further information.

The American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure Kick-off Celebration took place at Goodness Gracious Cafe in Murfreesboro, TN.  There was a great turn out of registered participants and new riders joined the cause.  The Diabetes Center at MTMC is the Presenting Corporate Sponsor.  Speakers this evening  included Tracy Toy - 2011 Committee Chair, Judge Jones (representing his family and our two Youth Ambassadors Jesse and Elizabeth) and Gordon Ferguson of MTMC.

The Tour de Cure will take place on Saturday, May 21 with a start/finish at Barfield Crescent Park, Murfreesboro.  This is a family friendly ride with routes including 10, 30, 60 and 100 miles.  We will be raising funds to find a cure for diabetes and expect to have more than 400 registered riders.

To join the Tour de Cure or become a volunteer, contact Greg Lessley at the American Diabetes Association  by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or check out the www.diabetes.org website.

From the American Stroke Association: the Top 15 strangest reasons why men ignored their stroke symptoms. (For full release, scroll down below this list)

• Thought the vision loss was caused by something I ate.
• Thought my arm numbness was due to my recent knee surgery.
• Had been partying the night before, so the next day when I was slurring and couldn’t see, I thought it was just a hangover.
• Thought my wife would get mad, so I waited until she woke up to tell her I couldn't move my arm.
• Wanted to make it to Florida by morning so I kept on driving until I passed out at the wheel.
• Did not have anyone to watch my dog.
• Didn’t want to break my bodybuilding training – until my arm went numb and the weight dropped on my head.
• Didn’t want to waste my free dinner-for-two prize, so I made the restaurant bag the meal AND dessert before I would go to the ER.
• Didn’t want to miss my prepaid cruise vacation, even though I suddenly couldn’t walk.
• Didn’t want to leave the conference until I could hear the keynote speaker, Sarah Palin.
• (From a pilot): Knew my airline would ground me and I wouldn’t be able to fly the plane.
• Had to close on a house.
• Had to vote but couldn't operate the voting machine.
• Didn’t want to miss my court date and get another contempt of court charge.

And the No. 1 strangest reason why a man ignored his stroke symptoms:

• The playoff game was on.

From “The game was on” to “I thought it was a hangover”

Real-life reasons why men ignore stroke

MURFREESBORO, TN - When it comes to stroke, a key message is “time lost is brain lost.” But judging by the behavior of many men in Middle Tennessee, that message is getting lost as well.

Stroke is the No. 3 killer in the country and the leading cause of severe long-term disability. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so it starts to die. According to the American Stroke Association, reacting quickly and seeking immediate medical care when symptoms occur is critical to increasing chances of survival and minimizing disability.

With men, getting them to react quickly can be a particular challenge.

Common wisdom holds that men are often reluctant patients. A 2008 Harris Interactive study bears this out, showing a whopping 92 percent of men wait at least a few days before seeking medical care when they’re sick. But those extra hours– or even a few extra minutes - can be a deadly delay when stroke occurs. And the reasons men wait can be stranger than fiction.

As part of the American Stroke Association’s new Warning Signs of Stroke campaign in Middle Tennessee, aimed at men, an informal study was recently conducted to look at the actual reasons men delayed getting help when stroke struck them. These were cited by men who had stroke symptoms, put off seeking medical attention and were later diagnosed and treated for stroke in Middle Tennessee hospitals.

Here are some of their real-life responses, and why these are good examples of how NOT to react.

“I thought it was something else” – Dazed and confused

The party also ended unexpectedly for one man who got drunk with his friends, woke up the next day with slurred speech and vision loss, and figured it was just a hangover. It wasn’t.

“It's so important that you understand your body and what's going on and to really pay attention to the warning signs,” said Eddie George, former Tennessee Titan and American Stroke Association spokesperson. “They are there for a reason."

"Time is brain,” said Sonya Brooks, M.D., neurologist and medical director of Skyline Neuroscience Center in Nashville. “The more time that you wait deciding whether or not you should seek medical treatment may be time that we won't be able to give you the help that you need."

The warning signs of stroke include 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 trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; or sudden severe headache with no known cause.

”I had things to do” – Taking responsibility too seriously

A good number of men in the Middle Tennessee study thought that taking care of business was more important than taking care of their body’s stroke warning signs.

Reasons cited ranged from the everyday “had to pick up wife,” “had to pick up child from school” and “had to close on a house” to the civic-minded “had to vote.” That man realized he’d made the wrong election when he arrived at the polling station and couldn't operate the voting machine.

One gentleman was driving at night to his summer home in Florida when he noticed the road was becoming dim and his arm felt numb. As he wanted to make it there by morning and he didn't want to wake his spouse who couldn't drive at night, he kept driving. His wife awoke to the sound of tires thumping along the safety bumpers as the car ran off the road. She barely had enough time to grab the wheel as he lost consciousness.

A grandfather had stroke symptoms while babysitting his grandson but refused to leave his shift to get help. Frightened, the 11-year-old grandson called his mother to report that his grandfather was dying.

Then there was the man who wouldn’t call for help because he did not have anyone to watch his dog.

Some men who delayed getting medical attention for stroke were trying to avoid getting in trouble, such as the employee who was afraid to miss work out of fear he would be terminated.

An overly-cautious husband did not wake his sleeping wife because he feared she would get mad at him, so he waited until she woke up to tell her he couldn't move his arm.

And a man already in trouble with the law thought he’d better keep his scheduled court appearance - despite his symptoms - because he’d already been cited for contempt of court for failure to appear on a previous occasion.

Though a sense of responsibility is admirable, taking care of business when stroke strikes means taking immediate action. Stroke is a medical emergency that takes priority over any other “business.” Most strokes are treatable, and can even be reversible, if the patient calls 9-1-1 and gets to the hospital for treatment - such as the clot-busting drug tPA - within three hours of the first symptom. But the clock is ticking. The longer the delay, the more damage the stroke can do.

Losing a few minutes could mean losing full use of an arm or leg. The faster one starts treatment, the more chance one has to walk out in good shape.

“If you’re having a stroke, you definitely don't want to ignore it,” said Curtis Hagenau, M.D., neurologist at Baptist Hospital in Nashville. “Stroke symptoms may not be severe initially and stroke doesn't usually cause pain. So, some guys decide to just wait it out for a while and see if it will go away on its own. That’s a bad decision. Stroke is more likely to improve in the hospital, especially if you get there quickly.”

“I can tough it out” – When stubborn becomes serious

Many men figured they’d wait out their symptoms because they hoped “it would just go away.” But some men showed their stubborn side in notable ways.

There was the football fan who refused to seek help for his stroke symptoms because the playoff game was on. Time lost: three hours – an “overtime” he could ill afford.

There was the vacationer embarking on a nonrefundable cruise who didn’t tell his wife that his leg was numb until they got to the airport and he couldn’t walk. Ignoring his wife’s protests, he grabbed a wheelchair, fully intending to board the plane - until the flight attendant stopped him at the gate.

There was the dinner winner who was enjoying his free meal for two at the restaurant when he started to choke, drool and have difficulty swallowing. Wanting to get his money’s worth, he kept trying to eat, and finally insisted that the restaurant bag their meals – and desserts - before he would go to the ER.

And there was the pilot who tried to “power through” his symptoms because he knew he would be grounded by his company – unable to fly - if he had a diagnosis of stroke. Unfortunately the stroke did the grounding: he was found on the floor in the airport bathroom.

“Powering through” also did not work for the bodybuilder training for a tournament when his arm went numb. Not wanting to break training and miss his show, he tried to lift the weight, only to have it crash down on his head. His double diagnosis: stroke – as well as a traumatic brain injury.

“Men sometimes like to prove their toughness by minimizing symptoms, but the warning signs of stroke may be the only harbingers before disaster strikes,” said Howard Kirshner, M.D., medical director of the Vanderbilt Stroke Center in Nashville. “It's not cool to ignore key warning signs, and they may pay for this with disability for the rest of their lives.”

"Men tend to fight through the hard stuff,” added George. “If we have a headache, we take aspirin, and if you are feeling dizzy, we lay down. But you just can't ignore the signs."

Real men take action - immediately

So what should men – and women – do if they have one or more of the warning signs, or see someone who does? The answer from the American Stroke Association is simple and clear: call 9-1-1 immediately. This ensures the fastest treatment, which is critical when stroke occurs.

“Don't just tough it out,” said Hagenau. “Don't waste time by calling your wife or family doctor. Call 9-1-1 and get to the ER.”

For more information on the warning signs of stroke and how to take action, visit the American Stroke Association’s Nashville website at www.strokeassociation.org/nash.

Murfreesboro, TN -”Salon-a-Thon” at Tangerine Salon and Spa in Murfreesboro is making a generous donation and raising funds for the American Diabetes Association on Thursday, May 6.

From 3:00 - 7:00 p.m. the Salon will be open for regular business, offering on site specials and collecting donations for the American Diabetes Association. The afternoon will include refreshments provided by JoZoara Coffee Shop, door prizes and silent auction items from area merchants including Stones River Country Club, On Target Indoor Shooting Range, Goo-Goo Car Wash, Goodness Gracious, The Peddler, Maple Street Grill and so many more!

The event is hosted by Tracy Toy of Murfreesboro, who is the captain of Team AJ that is raising funds to participate in the American Diabetes Association Tour de Cure in Springfield, TN on May 22. Team AJ is named to honor two great kids, Alex Strutner, age 7, and Jillian Seguin, age 11.

Toy commented, “I am so excited to be participating in my first ever ride in the Tour de Cure. We all know someone who struggles with diabetes and I want to help find a cure for this terrible disease.”

The American Diabetes Association is at the forefront of the fight to prevent, treat and cure diabetes. They provide education, promote awareness, advocate on behalf of diabetic patients and are the authoritative source on diabetes in the United States. Last year, more than 40,000 cyclists in 80 Tour events raised nearly $17 million to support the mission of the ADA: to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.

For additional Tour de Cure information, call Greg Lessley, of the American Diabetes Association, at 615-477-9998or visit www.tour.diabetes.org. More information on the American Diabetes Association is available at www.diabetes.org.

Donations of any kind or size may be made to the American Diabetes Association by contacting Tracy Toy at teamAJ2010@att.net or through Tracy’s Tour Page at http://main.diabetes.org/site/TR/TourdeCure/TDC194308030?px=5712511&pg=personal&fr_id=6861.