On Tuesday, the Chiefs Community Caring Team, featuring the running backs, visited patients at The University of Kansas Hospital, who have recently had a stroke.
"It's been great to visit the hospital and see smiles on these patients who have had a stroke," Jamaal Charles said. "It means a lot to me to visit these Chiefs fans; they were all really happy to see us, they were excited. I'm happy to see them doing well, getting better and improving each day. We're just here to lift their spirits and in return they lifted ours as well."
Kansas City Chiefs running backs visit patients at The University of Kansas Hospital.
May is Stroke Awareness Month and to show their support, the Chiefs talked with patients, signed autographs and took photos.
"The patients were very excited to see the Chiefs, they had been anxiously awaiting their arrival all day," Dr. Colleen Lechtenberg noted. "It's also really important because it helps bring awareness to strokes. The group visited a variety of age groups, ranging from 16 years old to 60 years old. The hospital can get boring and sometimes a difficult place to be, but to have the Chiefs come visit was incredible."
One of the patients the Chiefs visited was 16-year-old Bryan Dumdar, a junior in high school who recently had a stroke.
"I've been in the hospital since Saturday evening," Dumbar said. "It was exciting to meet the Chiefs and to know that they care enough to visit. It was great getting a signed football and poster from them. My favorite Chiefs player is Jamaal Charles so it was awesome to meet him today. The Chiefs are a great organization."
This was a chance for the Chiefs to bring joy to those in the hospital and spread awareness of strokes. According to stroke.org, on May 11, 1989, President George H. W. Bush signed the Presidential Proclamation 5975 designating May as National Stroke Awareness Month at the urging of National Stroke Association. Since then, May has been a time to increase public awareness of strokes in an effort to conquer it.
If you think someone may be having a stroke, use the simple test, FAST. F: Face – Ask the person to smile. Does one side of their face droop? A: Arms – Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? S: Speech – Can the person correctly repeat a simple sentence? Are the words slurred? T: Time – Call 911 immediately if the person shows any of these symptoms. To learn more, visit kumed.com/stroke.
