Happy 44th Birthday, Kirk Franklin: Gospel Singer Takes Health Back To Church

Kirk Franklin, the self-proclaimed “church boy”, and nine-time Grammy Award-winning gospel singer has renewed his passion for healthy living as he turns 44 years today. Growing up in the church, Franklin saw first hand how the health of members in God’s body needed to improve. The multi-talented artiste has teamed up with the American Heart Association (AHA) to promote a campaign titled: The Power to End Stroke. Stroke is a common disease that affects Africans and African Americans alike. Franklin notes; “Stroke is a serious health issue that is claiming the lives of our loved ones and we’re bringing increased awareness to help stop this devastation in our communities,” he said. “It’s time to stand up and do something about the thousands of people who are dying every year from stroke.”

The AHA hopes to empower the African-American community in the United States and people of African race all over the world to influence their awareness about the need to adopt healthy lifestyles.“Stroke is such a devastating disease for our community, and it seems that no one ever talks about it or thinks that it can happen to them,” said Evelyn Young, AHA spokesperson and a stroke survivor. The Blackdoctor.org, an organisation committed to helping people of African race improve their health, recommends what people should look out for to reduce chances of being affected by stroke using the AHA’s FAST method”, which includes: Face Drooping. Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Arm Weakness. Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward? Speech Difficulty. Is speech slurred, are they unable to speak, or are they hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like “the sky is blue.” Is the sentence repeated correctly? Time to call 9-1-1. If the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 9-1-1 and get them to the hospital immediately.  

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This article was first published on 26th January 2014

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