On an MRI of a 60-something-year-old man, you can see a white spot, marking the area of the brain the stroke attacked. The man waited months before going to see a doctor, but he pulled through the stroke with only minimal damage, making him one of the lucky ones.

It's not all about luck, though. The damage done, or lack thereof, also depends on the part of the brain in which the stroke occurs and how it shows itself on the outside.

"In general, the majority of people having a stroke have a sudden loss of function and that should be the warning sign, the alarm," said Dr. Michael Price, M.D. a neurologist at Archbold Memorial Hospital in Thomasville.

Unlike a heart attack, a stoke presents itself in a plethora of ways, though the most common is a sudden loss of speech, sight, balance or physical movement brought on by a lack of glucose and oxygen to the brain.

Roughly 85% of all strokes are classified as Ischemic, meaning there is a blockage in a vessel that supplies blood to the brain. The other 15% are the more deadly form known as hemorrhagic, where a weakened vessel ruptures and bleeds out into the brain.

If treated within three hours of the attack, Dr. Price says most people will come out of a stroke with minimal or no visible damage, but those who wait may not be as fortunate, which is why doctors say it's so important to get treatment immediately.

"I would way rather see somebody for what's called no reason, than not call me and wind up paralyzed," Dr. Price said.

If you have any questions regarding stroke, WCTV will have experts from Archbold Memorial Hospital standing by to answer your calls today from 5pm to 6:30pm and again on Wednesday from 5pm to 6:30 pm. The number to call is 866-766-4325. Everyone who calls will get a free cookbook from the American Stroke Association.