Hi folks, it's Abe. Vanita and Rick are doing all right ... sorry, I'll write an update about them soon. Meanwhile, here's a timely message she wants you to have, crossposted from my site:

This being Stroke Awareness Month, take just a minute or two and learn these signs. Why, you ask? Aren't strokes only for old people?

No, stroke is the third-leading cause of death ... and it strikes everyone. Yes, the elderly. Yes, the overweight. But also young adults who are physically fit. Even, sometimes, children. It's true.

And the thing is, since nobody believes it will happen to them, many don't take the signs seriously enough. Sudden, excruciating headache? No problem, I'll sleep it off, just like I did in college. Dizziness? Inability to walk? Oh, it's just the sun. Get me a cold lemonade and let me sit here a while.

But a while is too long -- you only have about an hour to get those clot-busting drugs at the hospital that will dramatically improve the rest of your life.

Don't play around with this! Take just a minute or two and study these symptoms. There aren't many. Go over them once or twice, for you, for your loved ones.

This message is brought to you in honor of my courageous friend Vanita, who one day in her late 30s suffered a sudden, excruciating headache. Last year, she jumped at Skydiving for MS.

Keep going, girl!