Mitzi Beckett, BSN, RN, SCRN

Mitzi Beckett is the Stroke Program Coordinator for Cabell Huntington Hospital in West Virginia. Not only does she provide outreach and education for adults, Mitzi has developed a program specifically for children and created the superhero "FASTman," with help from her marketing department, to aid her in her education efforts. With the help of the “FASTman” program, Mitzi captures the attention of children and gets them actively involved in learning about early recognition of stroke symptoms and reducing risk factors with diet and fun exercise. The lessons her students learn can help save the lives of their grandparents, teachers, church family, parents, and even peers. If you walk into a room while Mitzi is presenting, you are likely to see children jumping rope, running in place, or doing jumping jacks as they put fun ways to reduce risk into practice. You could also see children putting marshmallows in their mouths to help simulate dysarthria, using weights on their arms to limit or challenge movement in a way that some stroke survivors may face, or wearing special glasses to help simulate the loss of vision that survivors could experience. Her energy and witty personality make children hungry to learn and keeps their attention. She is an inspiration to everyone around her.