Is a stroke on both sides of the brain a really bad thing my sister had a stroke and thay said it was on both sides of her brain? i want to now what i have to look forward to is it death for my sister

Any : Any stroke is a really bad thing. Unlike any other organ, the brain can't be replaced. So, a stroke, which represents permanent damage to the brain, is there for life. This is why it is very important to identify and reduce risks for stroke, ideally before the first stroke happens. At the same time, most strokes are survivable. This is because few strokes are large enough, or in a sufficiently sensitive part of the brain (like the brainstem) to interfere with basic life functions such as consciousness and breathing. The chances of survival can't be calculated exactly and change, sometimes frequently and greatly, during the hospitalization for acute stroke. Things that influence chances of survival include the type of stroke (hemorrhagic -- bleeding to the brain; or ischemic -- part of the brain is starved of blood), the location of the stroke, and the size of the stroke. The chances of survival are greater for younger, healthier people with small, uncomplicated strokes. Poor health, complications (including heart attack, bleeding into the brain, swelling of the brain, organ failure), and other factors can cause a poor prognosis. The majority of people who experience a stroke also experience partial or near-complete recovery. People often ask "if the stroke is a permanent brain injury, why do people recover?" this is because the brain's primary function is to learn, and during stroke recovery it learns its way around the injured area. When a loved one experiences a stroke, people often have a lot of questions. While the answers to those questions can change on a frequent basis, it is usually very helpful to ask for a family meeting. These meetings, which are routine at my hospital, usually involve the patient's loved ones (or their representatives), the patient's nurse, the main doctors involved in the patient's care, a social worker, and a hospital chaplain. The purpose of the meeting is to share information and to establish goals. Family meetings can usually be arranged through the patient's nurse. To increase awareness of heart disease (and stroke) the american heart association holds a heart (and stroke) walk every year. Most of these events occur in april or may. www.heartwalk.org