World Stroke Day 29th October - not just the elderly

Topic:

PSGS news

Date published:

Wednesday, 26 October 2022

Having had a couple of strokes in my 40s, I know strokes aren’t just something that happen to the elderly (although my teenage children consider me to be elderly, the doctors keep telling me I was young!).

Mine came out of the blue. My first was when I was on holiday with my family in New Zealand in 2018 and the second was a couple of years later when I was cleaning the bathroom (I always said housework was dangerous!).

Blood clots on the right side of my brain affected the use of my left arm on both occasions but the cause of the clots is still unknown. Surprisingly this isn’t uncommon - the cause of 1 in 3 strokes is not known. Apart from intense fatigue, I walked away with very few long-lasting physical symptoms and haven’t had to rely on additional support to return to ‘normal’ life.

However, I still need to connect with those who have had similar experiences and that’s where Different Strokes comes in. It’s a small, friendly and growing charity that supports those of us of working age who’ve had a stroke. Just as importantly, they’re there for families and friends of stroke survivors, providing literature, online support, meetings and a whole lot more.

Shockingly 25% of strokes happen to those who are still of working age. Different Strokes focuses on their needs, helping them return to work, manage difficult employers and settle back into family life. Hopefully you’ll never need them but be aware strokes don’t happen just to the elderly.

Chloe Key, Simon Brandt, Kevin Kenneally and I are taking part in the Supernova 5K run on Saturday 19 November 2022 to raise more money for Different Strokes. Please donate here if you can!

and remember BEFAST:

• Balance
• Eyes
• Face
• Arms
• Speech
• Time

This certainly helped for me.

 

 

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