Participants were unsure where in the body a stroke occurs and what happens during a stroke. There was a sense that something “explodes” in the body during a stroke. Another explanation for what happens during a stroke was poor circulation in the
body “that cuts off ... blood supply and everything to the brain.” The women explained that stroke and heart attack have been viewed by African Americans as the same condition, but a participant observed that African Americans are beginning to
distinguish the two conditions. The phrase “a stroke of the heart” used a participant illustrated the commingling of the two conditions.