ADAMS TOWNSHIP - May is National Stroke Month, but Melissa Frankel has lots to say about strokes throughout the year.

Frankel became a speaker for stroke awareness once she reclaimed her voice from the effects of a brain stem stroke she suffered in 2001.

Today, Frankel speaks at events to relay her story and get the word out. "Strokes don't just happen to the elderly or the unhealthy," said Frankel, 30, who speaks to groups "in the hopes of heightening their awareness that strokes can impact people in their 20s."

Frankel was awarded the American Heart Association's Survivor Advocate of the Year recently during a ceremony in Washington, D.C. The annual award is given to a heart disease or stroke survivor who has made an exceptional commitment to the American Heart Association and its division, the American Stroke Association.

At the time of her medical emergency, Frankel was trim, with normal blood pressure and cholesterol levels - an unlikely candidate for the life-threatening event. She neither smoked nor drank and was physically active.

Unaware a blood clot had formed in her vertebral artery, she went about her life with her usual verve and was playing with her dog when a quick turn of her head resulted in a violent dizzy spell and nausea.

Stroke was hardly her first thought, nor that of the medical staff at the hospital. "It's important to know the signs and symptoms of stroke and to access care immediately," Frankel said, noting it wasn't until she lost her ability to speak that stroke became a possible diagnosis.

"I was not in a coma. I was fully competent and aware, I just couldn't communicate or move," she explained.

"All my words and thoughts were still there, but I had to retrain my tongue to make words and swallow. (My tongue) wanted to do just about anything but what I wanted it to do."

After four years of hard rehabilitative work, Frankel has progressed to using only a single-point cane. She drives a car and works full time as a information systems trainer.

"Since her stroke, Melissa has been extremely active within the Pittsburgh region as an advocate and spokesperson," said Dr. Vincent Bufalino, a member of the board that selected Frankel as the survivor advocate of the year.

Bufalino is president and CEO of Midwest Heart Specialists.

"As a young female survivor, Melissa puts a unique face on stroke and has been willing to share her compelling story with policy makers both locally and in Washington, D.C.

"She met with members of Congress during the 2004 Lobby Day, and her moving story was one reason Senator Santorum signed the 'Dear Colleague' letter asking for increased funding for NIH/CDC (National Institutes of Health/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) heart and stroke research," he said.

To qualify for the award, the guidelines stipulate candidates must make "an exceptional commitment to AHA/ASA federal and state issues and fervently advocates on those issues. The Survivor Advocate of the Year takes time out of their personal schedule to participate in AHA events and advocate on heart and stroke issues.

"Additionally, he/she has shared their personal story with heart disease and/or stroke in an effort to raise awareness to elected officials and help advance national legislation."

Aside from her speaking engagements for stroke awareness, Frankel is affiliated with the American Stroke Association's Train to End Stroke program. This is a fund-raising program that recruits participants to train for a full or half marathon and raise funds to support stroke medical research.

In addition, she has participated in the American Heart Association's Heart and Stroke Lobby Days in Washington, D.C., advocating for the Stop Stroke Act.

"All of us who work with her are so proud she has been selected for (the Survivor Advocate of the Year)," said Bonnie Anton, board director for the American Heart Association in Pennsylvania.

"She has touched the lives of so many people in such a positive way. Melissa is an inspiration to everyone who meets her."

According to the American Heart Association statistics, less than 1 percent of women in Frankel's age group, 20 to 34 years old, suffer strokes.

People older than 75 are most at risk of stroke. The next highest occurrence is among those 65 to 74, followed by ages 55 to 64.