Good morning everybody and welcome to The Balancing Act.
We are so glad you joined us.
I'm Julie Moran.
And I'm Olga Villaverde.
You know, May is American Stroke Month and Julie, I don't know if
you know this, but more than 100,000 suffer from the
annually, and unfortunately - This is what I know...
women!
-women more than men.
We're going to learn more about this, coming up.
Okay, plus a stylish way to communicate.
Look at this, from a company we all know and love, with a golden
reputation, and you know what, they've engraved your name and
my name on these pens.
My name fit?
Yes!
Classic and timeless.
I love it.
And delicious organic veggies.
Can't wait for that.
I can't wait either.
The Balancing Act starts right now.
(music).
Women run a greater risk of having it than being diagnosed
with breast cancer.
I'm referring to a stroke, and contrary to popular belief,
women in their 40s and younger can have a stroke.
With us today, Dr. Ralph Sacco, whose many accolades include
being the first neurologist to serve as president of the
American Heart Association, and American Stroke Association.
Also joining me this morning, Anne Daley, a working mom who
suffered and overcame a stroke, here to share her incredible
story.
Good morning, Anne.
Good morning, how are you?
Thank you for having us.
Thanks for having us.
Thanks for being here.
Doctor, let me start with you.
Tell us exactly what causes a stroke.
What are the main causes?
Well, stroke is like a heart attack, but in the brain.
Many strokes occur because a blood vessel gets blocked.
Either a blood vessel in the neck, small blood vessel inside
the brain, or a clot from the heart or somewhere else flies up
and blocks an artery in the brain.
The brain gets injured and we develop a stroke.
I know it can happen quickly, so what can what one know in terms
of recognizing that they're having one?
Well, everyone knows what a heart attack is, right?
Chest pain, you know what to do.
Very few people know the warning symptoms and signs of stroke.
And, that's why the American Heart Association and American
Stroke Association, part of this together to end stroke
initiative, with Medtronic, wants everyone to know F.A.S.T.
It's the acronym F-A-S-T.
Face drooping.
If someone's face is drooping, you ask them to smile and the
face is drooping on one side.
A for arm.
If they put out the arm and the arm is weak or drooping.
S for speech.
Having trouble speaking or slurring their speech, and T for
time.
Time is brain.
We've got to act quickly and call 911.
That's great information right there.
FAST.
F-A-S-T.
Now, why are so many women affected by a stroke?
Well, that's a great question.
Right now, more women have a stroke, die from a stroke, or
are disabled from a stroke than men in this country.
Really?
Largely because women survive longer than men, and we know age
is important, but second risk factors like high blood
pressure, diabetes or obesity, heart disease, can actually
increase in women as they age, and third,
there are other factors like migraine, hormones and oral
contraceptives that can actually increase the risk of stroke.
And you've really shocked me here.
And Anne, let me bring you in now, because you suffered a
stroke at what age?
I was 39 years old.
39.
Tell me what happened.
I was at the office alone on a Sunday.
I'm a working mother and it was time to go to the office, and I
was catching up on some work, and all of a sudden I realized
that my left hand wasn't working.
Mmm-hmm.
So, I had the A of the F-A-S-T, and my face felt strange, so I
have the F of the F-A-S-T.
After spending a moment or two googling my symptoms on the
internet, I knew what was happening.
I knew I was having a stroke, so I called 911, got to the
hospital very quickly, got treated.
But what was going through my head at that point was I had
seen my grandmother have a stroke fifteen years earlier
when she was in her 80s and it had taken away her independence.
It had left her completely debilitated, and what was going
through my head was, is that what was going to happen to me?
And you know, thank goodness you even knew to act, because
doctor, you just said it, seconds count here.
That's right.
Anne is so unusual, once she recognized, she called 911, she
got that urgent attention, where she probably wouldn't be sitting
here like she is today.
And how typical is this story?
39 years old.
Stroke can happen at any age.
We all think stroke only occurs in the elderly.
Stroke can happen to anyone at anytime.
And in fact, latest statistics show that we're seeing a decline
in stroke over age 65, but in middle age we're actually seeing
a bit of an increase.
And Ann, do you think your grandmother's story, what
happened to her, did that help you with your recovery and what
you had to do?
It definitely inspired me to work very hard when I was in
rehabilitation.
My biggest goal was to be able to run and get back to running
after I had my stroke.
And you said something interesting before the show
started.
She is a - Anne is a stroke victor.
Tell me what that means.
So that means someone that really thrives.
Someone that has done great.
We want more people like Ann to come out and actually be
spokespersons for stroke.
Ann did so well because she recognized the symptoms, she
called 911, and she got to a stroke center and she got stroke
lifesaving therapies.
And let's be honest, had she not acted?
She wouldn't be like this today.
And that's the key to recovery.
F.A.S.T.
is what we want everyone to know.
We want people to know those warning symptoms and get that
urgent attention.
Any closing thoughts?
I think just the main thing is for people to know that time is
of the essence.
Don't be embarrassed if you think that you're having a
stroke, but you're not sure.
Get to the hospital.
Get the treatment as soon as possible.
Doctor I know there is a free app.
I'd like you to tell our viewers in terms of what this means.
StrokeAssociation.org and get Spot a Stroke FAST.
And get that FAST app, and then you too will beat a stroke like
Ann.
And we have a few more seconds, I want to say it one more time.
FAST.
F for Face, A for Arm, S for Speech, T for time.
Call 911.
Every second counts.
Thank you for your time today, doctor.
God bless you, Ann!
Good luck to you and thank you for helping me understand this
even more.
Thank you.
Thank you both.
If you'd like more information on this topic, you can also
visit our website, TheBalancingAct.com, or get
social.
Log on to Facebook.com/TheBalancingActFans
I'm never going to forget that FAST.
(music)..
Alright, here's an interesting question for you.
When's the last time you received a handwritten note?
Well, this year, my husband sent me three.
You know, putting pen to paper is still a very important part
of human interaction, and creativity.
Especially, in this age of technology, and here to rekindle
our love affair with this age old art form are Heidi Gagnon
and Ramon Kingsly from the legendary brand, Cross Pens.
So great to have you guys here.
Thank you very much.
Alright, now Ramon, I know you designed many of these
collections, and they're so gorgeous, and I can't wait to
talk to you about that a little later, but Heidi, I want to turn
to you first and ask you, you know when we receive a pen as a
gift, it's one of those defining moments in our lives.
Why is that?
A fine pen is like a true work of art.
As you can see from our beautiful collection here, a
fine pen embodies precious metals, beautiful patterns,
stones set in the top and beautiful craftsmanship.
So, really, it's such an important piece.
I bet if I asked you who was the person, and when they gave you
your first Cross pen, you'd know about it.
I know.
Yep.
Right?
Absolutely.
Well, it's because it's such a defining moment in your life.
It's a signature moment, that's what we call it at Cross, so
when you think about it, every great idea, every great poem,
novel, even a beautiful thank you note, it all starts by
putting pen to paper.
I love that saying.
Putting pen to paper.
When we think about history, and how many documents were signed
and all that encounters.
Ramon, Cross pens has been a real part of that American
history, and world history.
Tell me about that.
So A.T.
Cross dates way back to the 1800s.
It was founded in 1846.
It started as a jewelry company, and then later got into the art
of fine writing instruments, and applied some of that jewelry
aspect to the instrument as we know them today.
In 1889, one of the founding members created the Peerless
collection.
Peerless Collection, okay.
Which is our patent for a fountain pen, and it was called
Peerless because there was no other design that matched it in
its time.
Now, 100 years later, 1946, the Classic Century was born, and
that, today, is our most iconic pen design.
A lot of dignitaries, Queen Elizabeth, four of the last
presidents have used our pens to sign, you know, mark important
documents, yes.
It's one of the oldest and most iconic American companies.
That's so interesting, and Heidi, as we've entered this age
of technology, how has Cross been able to adapt?
We feel at Cross that writing will always be a part of the
human experience.
It should be.
It will never ever go out of style, however, we know that we
need to keep pace with the trends in technology, so we've
been able to adapt our classic pens, so that they can not only
write on paper, but also on digital devices.
That's wonderful.
I want to try some of these.
Now, I love that this has a very masculine design.
Absolutely.
So this pen right here, this is actually one of our latest pens.
It's a Peerless 125.
It's perhaps one of the most luxurious in our collection.
This is a very special pen.
Some of the features, I'll show you, it has that conical shape.
There's a jewel stone in it.
This particular design is a screw on, screw off, and it's a
rollerball.
A roller ball.
Oh wow, that's so effortless.
Very nice.
That's gorgeous.
Oh I feel very important with that.
And this collection we've known about for a while, so familiar
to me.
So this is our most popular, most famous design.
This is the Classic Century.
Okay.
That I was talking about, and this is a ball pen.
This precious metal pen, slim shape, streamlined.
Beautiful.
And this is a ball pen.
A ball pen.
Oh yeah.
Very popular writing technology for us.
Just signing my name over and over, but I can't get away from,
this is new, right Heidi?
What collection is that?
That is Cross Botanica.
It is a beautiful female collection.
It has jewelry quality accents.
The pattern was actually inspired by a henna design.
Okay, it looks like a henna tattoo, a little bit.
Exactly.
That's exactly what it is.
And I love this, Ramon.
This is - This is wonderful.
This is a fountain pen.
Oh a fountain pen!
That's a very special piece.
It's a limited edition.
I love that jewel.
It's our cherry blossom.
Okay.
If you look at the pattern, it's inspired by the cherry blossom.
Matter of fact, I'm even wearing my hankie.
It's a cherry blossom pattern.
Alright!
A lot of people, I love fountain pens.
Not many people use them, but I just get a kick out of them.
That is gorgeous.
Oh!
Wow!
Thank you.
Alright.
Heidi, I want to talk to you about technology, and you've
really created a pen, and it's called the Multifunction Pen?
Absolutely.
Tell me about that.
It's called Crosstech 3 Plus, multifunction pen.
What's fantastic about this product, it's ideal for the tech
savvy consumer who needs to write on paper, but then also
quickly navigate on a digital device.
So, what's great about this product, it's easy to use, you
just twist, and you can see that's a red ball-point pen, and
then a mechanical pencil, and also black, and on the opposite
end is a stylus, so that you can navigate on your digital device.
It's a great multifunctional tool.
So, you just have thought of everything.
Absolutely.
What a beautiful and decadent way to express yourself on
paper, or on a digital device, or to give the gift of
creativity to someone you love.
All of these designs offer a lifetime mechanical guarantee,
and are available at Cross.com.
I want to thank you so much for joining us.
This was really fun.
Thank you.
Good to experience.
Good to be here.
Now, to get your guy or gal one of these beautiful pieces of art
head straight to TheBalancingAct.com You know, I
just love this.
I love this.
(music).
Just when you thought you knew all there was to know about
Maruchan Noodles, there's this.
Chef Chris Paul is here to show us how to make a delicious
Spring Salad starring your favorite Ramen noodle bowl, and
fresh ingredients like these.
Welcome back!
Every time you come, I know I"m going to eat something
scrumptious and more important, easy to make.
Yes!
That's the key.
We want it easy.
Too much going on in my life.
So, today we're using arugula.
Yes.
Tell me why you like it.
I love arugula.
The greener the better.
Right?
And we always use romaine, we use iceberg.
The same thing.
Change it up.
Watercress.
Arugula.
You know what I call watercress in Spanish, how we say it?
Berro.
See I love that.
It rolls.
Come on try.
I couldn't.
Berro.
Good enough.
Start helping me put it together.
We're going to actually use Maruchan noodles for this salad.
Yes, Pasta with noodles.
You would say "huh, what's going on?"
So, together they make a beautiful blend, so we've cooked
these noodles off ahead of time.
We left them rest.
We don't want to put hot noodles into cold salad.
That's a no-no.
So you put this in the microwave first.
Three minutes, boom, ready to go.
Okay, and you let it sit.
You let it sit.
Perfect.
And now we're just going to add some ingredients.
Let's start with arugula that you actually said.
So we're going to put a little bit right in here.
And I really like mixing it up a little bit because I'm not one
to get that arugula, which I know is so good for you.
Oh, it is really good.
And I'm going to go right to watercress.
Underutilized.
We really don't use enough on our diet.
I actually grew up on watercress because my family loves it.
See?
That's awesome.
Cabbage.
Gotta love it.
I love the purple in the cabbage.
I love the purple.
It just makes the salad even more crisp and even prettier.
Yes, it does.
And you know what you can even hide it in there with the
children, and they see purple and they like it.
Yes.
That's true.
Little carrots.
More color.
And then one of my favorite, is the mandarin.
You know that gives it a nice little kick.
Mmmmm.
Sweet.
I'm not one to like sweetness in my salads but this is a good
choice.
I'm going to put it all in.
Yeah, put it all in.
Since you know I like it, let's go for it.
(laughter).
So this is what we're going to do is, we have the salad ready.
Now the next ingredients are actually to make the dressing.
This is the fun part.
And I'm not one to like making dressings, but you say this is
easy.
It's so easy.
Alright let's go for it.
Okay, so what we're going to do is take a little bit of ginger,
and it's chopped ground ginger.
Put a little bit in there.
A little bit of sugar.
Right?
Just a little.
A pinch.
We're going to use a little bit of vinegar.
Vinegar is really good.
We're also going to use a little bit of sesame seed oil.
I love sesame seed oil.
It's the best.
It gives it a nice little kick.
A little olive oil, and you want to stir this up, really good,
blend it all up together, and we're going to incorporate that
and put that right on the salad.
Okay.
The key thing to do is make sure you mix it really well,
otherwise it's just going to be a blend and it's not going to
taste really good.
Okay.
So that is ready.
And one thinks dressing can be really difficult, look at this.
Still a little bit of this, right in here.
Now there are some things that you kind of spice it up.
This is really good right now, but you can incorporate a little
bit of bacon, right?
Put a little bit of bacon in there, and also, I love the
avocado.
Avocado is the best.
I put avocado in everything.
So, I'm going to put everything.
Put all our avocado in there.
Pinch of lime.
You've got to finish it with a little bit of lime.
Squeeze a little bit of lime in there.
And you know what's great about this?
We've got our protein.
We've got our carbs.
And the noodles, again, can be just so versatile.
Mm, yes, you're absolutely right.
And fun to make.
The kids can help me make this.
Now, while you're mixing it up, I also want our viewers to know
that they can actually also eat the noodles out of the bowl.
So easy to make if you're in a hurry.
You just pop it in the microwave and shazam you've got a meal.
Yes.
Am I going to try a little?
Yes, if you have me that plate we can give a little sample.
You know I'm always willing to eat.
I will work it off later.
Bon appetite on that.
I'm trying to be proper and eating this the right way.
(laughter).
Oh my gosh, this is great.
The dressing has a great zing.
And the noodles are fabulous.
I love it.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
It was fun.
Fabulous.
And if you want to learn more about Maruchan Noodle Bowls log
onto TheBalancingAct.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
Also, share your favorite ramen noodle recipes with us as well.
Oh my gosh, this is delicious Chef, I'm going to have some
more.
(music).
Well, it's almost time to start the day.
In fact, I have lots of notes to make today.
I'm loving my pen and this is my everyday pen now.
I needed a new one.
Thank you!
Thank you so much, Cross.
Alright, remember to check our website, TheBalancingAct.com You
can find lots more information right there.
I'm going to write you some notes today.
We're also on Twitter and Facebook.
Follow us, Like us, Tweet us.
Get social.
Remember, until next time, Find Your Balance.
So long everybody.
It's so cool.
Look how they put our names here.
I know.
(music).