At 10PM ET tonight on ABC, Dick Clark will again be on “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2010.” Melissa Rycroft, former Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader and winner of The Bachelor will chat with revelers in Times Square. Fergie will be hosting the segments from Las Vegas’ Aria at City Center. Jennifer Lopez and Daughtry will perform live at Times Square.
Dick Clark suffered a stroke in December 2004 that caused him to miss the 2004-2005 show. For 2005-2006, he returned to the New Year’s show in limited segments. Over the years, Clark’s on-air performance improved although he still had slurred speech from his stroke. In 2008-2009, he started using his arms and split his duties evenly with Ryan Seacrest during the 30 minutes just before midnight.
How does a stroke affect speech?
A stroke causes rapid death of brain cells in a process called ischemia or ischemic cascade, where brain tissue are irreversibly destroyed from lack of oxygen and glucose. If brain cells do not receive oxygen within four to six minutes, they change their metabolism to anaerobic which causes many side effects that eventually destroy the cell’s membrane. Even when the blood supply returns after ischemia, the oxygen that returns to the damaged cells cause even more free radicals to be released and often results in apoptosis, or programmed cell death.
A stroke like the one Dick Clark experienced damages part of the brain. Depending on the location of brain damage, which is often permanent, a stroke may lead to partial paralysis or inability to formulate speech. In many cases, stroke causes permanent neurological damage and even death. The leading cause of disability in U.S. adults is stroke.
