I’ve always been what most people call a “normal” bloke. I grew up on a farm and there were eight kids in the family. I left school at thirteen and went to work on the family farm. I got my first job away from home on a farm when I was sixteen years and nine months and after that working on farms and truck driving became my career.
I married and divorced twice, had six children and I have sixteen grandchildren. Heather and I have been together for the last eight years.
On 8 November 2007 I was paving at my daughters and came home early in the afternoon because I had got the virus that was going around. By 10.30am on Friday 9 November I was on my way to Dubbo Base Hospital and within an hour the Doctors confirmed that at the age of 58 ½ years I had had a stroke that has affected my left side.
Have courage… build connections... find support… strive for your goals Stroke truly is a life changing event, only in no way I could have predicted. Pre-stroke I lived a quiet ordinary life; post-stroke I increasingly wish to see improvements in support for those of us striving to realise our potential. This support can be generated through access to appropriate rehabilitation for all stroke survivors, along with support in developing the skills necessary to recover and re-establish roles central to our daily lives and endeavors. I dream of so much for us all, and during ongoing recovery I find myself on an exciting adventure of discovery and growth, despite the challenges that arise along the way. An adventure enriched by my supportive and encouraging connections.
It was a Sunday afternoon when mother of two, Kim Durose, 43, found that her arm had “stopped working”. When she tried to tell her husband Matt, the words would not come out properly.
But Matt had heard the National Stroke Foundation’s FAST advertisement on the radio and remembered that two symptoms were arm weakness and speech difficulties – the A and S of FAST.
“I never knew at 27 years old I was at risk of having a stroke. I didn’t even know what occurred during a stroke.
So on March 8 2008 when I got the most unbelievable headache it never crossed my mind that I was having a stroke.
Within five minutes of getting the headache, my symptoms worsened. My body turned weak, I was extremely light headed and had difficulty standing due to a loss of balance. I suffered numbness on the right hand side of my body. My biggest concern was loss of vision in both eyes.
I remember saying to my friend, “This is not normal, this is not normal.” I stupidly self-diagnosed myself as having sunstroke and decided against seeking medical treatment.
