(someone) had a stroke

A "stroke" is a health emergency that happens when blood doesn't reach part of a person's brain. When this happens to someone, you say that they "are having a stroke":

I think he's having a stroke! Someone call an ambulance!

Some people who have a stroke die from it. Others who survive have problems like paralysis (part of their body doesn't move anymore) and speech problems.

This phrase appears in these lessons: