I had my stroke aged 39. It was a subarachnoid haemorrhage, therefore it wasn't a traditional clot, but rather a bleed. I actually had it while walking around in John Lewis on a Sunday afternoon. When it happened I thought I had been hit at the back of the head with a golf club. I touched the back of my neck to see if it was bleeding only to discover no blood at all, and that I hadn’t been struck.
I was rushed to hospital and the scan revealed the bleed. This was an extremely scary time for me; as far as I was aware strokes only happened to old people!
After some time, I overheard a friend having a conversation with my consultant. It went something like this: "How serious are things? Is it as bad as a heart attack?", said my friend. "Heart attack??? A heart attack is a walk in the park compared to what he has had..." When I heard this I broke down. The seriousness of what had happened had finally hit home. I was devastated.
I will never forget the words of the consultant: "You have two choices my friend, either carry on living the way you are and when you come back you will not be leaving here or you will be leaving here but in a lot worse condition...OR...learn from this and make some changes - you have been given a second chance".
This was the beginning. I was lucky enough to have the skills to manage my own rehabilitation. Working with my GP, a neurologist and a health trainer, I constructed a mini project plan. Whilst going through my rehab, my mind thought about others in my position. I couldn't be the only 39 year old to suffer a stroke, right? I contacted Different Strokes and now help to run the local Southampton group. I am also vice chair of the board of trustees.
