Stroke is increasingly striking young Australians, with new data revealing one in four cases occur in people under 65. Every year, 45,000 Australians suffer a stroke—one every 11 minutes—and nearly 8,000 die.
Quick Thinking Saves a Mother of Three
Brooke, a 41-year-old gym owner and mother of three, is alive today thanks to fellow trainer Ryan Webber. Earlier this year, she had a stroke without realizing it. "I felt like I had pins and needles or my leg was dead and I felt like maybe in time it would come to and it never regained any feeling," she said.
Webber, who had suffered a stroke himself years ago, recognized the signs and urged her to go to hospital. "A lot of people wouldn't be able to pick up those signs or would think that they're OK," he said.
High Blood Pressure: The Silent Killer
The most common risk factor for stroke is high blood pressure, and 50 per cent of Australians with the condition are unaware of it. Brooke admitted, "A few of my friends have had strokes and I'm like 'oh my goodness what is this? I'm just too young. I thought I was too healthy'."
Remember FAST
Health experts urge people to remember the acronym FAST: Face drooping, Arm weakness, Slurred speech, and Time to call triple zero. One expert warned, "A million brain cells die every minute that the blood is not getting to the part of the brain where the stroke is."
Like Brooke and Ryan, many young Australians experience different symptoms. Their message: it can happen at any age, and take your stress levels seriously.
