A Canberra mother-of-two says she owes her life to her own mum who recognised the signs of stroke and told her to seek urgent medical attention.
A fit and healthy 19-year-old, Melissa Cowie had been experiencing headaches in the lead up to her stroke but dismissed the symptoms because she felt ‘invincible’.
“One morning I woke up and felt like I had pins and needles, my alarm was going off, but I couldn’t comprehend what the sound was or how to turn it off,” she said.
“I was living with my boyfriend at the time, and I asked him to drop me at work because I drove a manual and my leg wasn’t working properly.
“I had a shower and looked in the mirror and my face had drooped. I called my mum and she said get to hospital immediately.”
At hospital, doctors told Melissa and her family she had had a stroke. Over the next few weeks, Melissa had to relearn how to walk, dress herself and live independently again.
Melissa is one of around 6,400 survivors of stroke of all ages living in the ACT. She is sharing her story during National Stroke Week (3 to 9 August) to educate others on the common signs of stroke and the importance of calling triple zero (000) when stroke strikes. The theme of this year’s National Stroke Week is “F.A.S.T. heroes” in recognition of the everyday Aussies who help save lives by being stroke aware.
Melissa is now a mum to two teenage daughters and works as a nurse. She said she was inspired to work in healthcare thanks to her time as a stroke patient in hospital.
Stroke Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Dr Lisa Murphy, says everyone can be a hero by learning and sharing the F.A.S.T. message.
“You don’t need a cape to be a hero, you just need to know the signs of stroke by learning the F.A.S.T. acronym and calling triple zero (000) when stroke strikes. It can save a life.”
“F is for face- is their face drooping? A is for arms- can they lift both arms? S is for speech- is their speech slurred? And T is for time- time is critical. Call 000 immediately,” Dr Murphy said.
“When a stroke strikes, it attacks up to 1.9 million brain cells per minute so there is absolutely no time to waste. You must act fast and call triple zero (000) for help.”
“The faster you can receive treatment for stroke, the more chance you have of surviving, and with better outlook for recovery. This National Stroke Week, we’re asking everyone to be a stroke hero and learn the signs of stroke,” Dr Murphy added.
National Stroke Week is Stroke Foundation’s annual awareness campaign. You can support the campaign by sharing or creating your own social media post on any platform. Learn and share the F.A.S.T. signs of stroke and the knowledge to call triple zero (000) straight away if you suspect a stroke.
National Stroke Week is proudly supported by Major Sponsors: EMVision, Wellumio, and Supporting Sponsors: AbbVie and Pure Australia.
