Scott Thornton was just 40 when he suffered a stroke in 2013 while sitting in a café with a mate.
It was an episode the Green Point resident will never forget and one which sees him support the Stroke Foundation whenever he gets the opportunity including the annual National Stroke Week which runs from August 5 to 11.
With one Australian experiencing a stroke every 19 minutes, people are being urged to learn the F.A.S.T signs of a stroke so they know how to react if someone they love is impacted by stroke.
With Thornton experiencing almost all the signs on the day of his stroke, he was lucky to make a full recovery.
“I was sitting in a coffee shop with a mate when I just started getting severe vertigo, everything was at a 90-degree angle,” he said.
“I started sweating profusely, I couldn’t focus, and my blood pressure plummeted.
“My mate asked if I was okay, I said no, I even think I said I thought I was having a stroke.
“Then one side of my face went numb, and I slumped forward onto the table.”
His friend rang 000 and tried to put Thornton on the phone.
“I couldn’t speak, I was slurring, and I was still sweating profusely,” he said.
Fortunately, a doctor was at the café who helped until an ambulance arrived.
He was taken to nearby St Vincent’s Hospital where tests showed he had suffered two strokes, the first which is known as a TIA, a transient ischaemic attack, and a second stroke in his cerebellum, the back part of the head.
Further tests revealed a deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in his calf.
“They think a little bit of that clot may have broken off and transferred through a small part of my heart,” he said.
He has had no ongoing issues but remains on blood thinning medication.
F.A.S.T signs of a stroke are: Face – check the face and whether the mouth has drooped; Arms – can they lift both arms; Speech – is the speech slurred? Do they understand you?; Time – Time is critical. If you see any signs call 000 straight away.
Stroke Foundation chief executive officer Dr Lisa Murphy said stroke could strike anyone at any time.
“When a stroke strikes, brain cells start dying at a frightening rate of up to 1.9 million per minute, but prompt medical treatment can stop this damage,” she said.
And while stroke is one of Australia’s biggest killers and a leading cause of disability, the good news is that stroke can be treated and people can recover well if people can recognise the F.A.S.T message.