A Sunshine Coast man who survived a stroke is urging Queenslanders to learn the F.A.S.T. message for their best chance of recovery.
Greg Crawford was only 55 at the time of his stroke.
His first warning signs were weakness to his left side and the inability to walk.
At hospital, a scan revealed Greg’s stroke was caused by atrial fibrillation (AF).
“I was determined to put everything I could into my rehab and recovery,” he said.
“My left side was impacted, so I ordered a banana while in hospital each morning and twirled it around in my left hand.
“I eventually started to use dumbbells and noticed the more exercises I did, the more the movement would return in my hand.
“I was told I would need to spend at least four weeks in rehab, but I was discharged after two weeks.”
Once Greg was home, he was determined to rebuild his body.
“At first, I couldn’t do much in my home gym, but I persisted with 12kg weights,” he said.
“Amazingly the strength came back, and I was able to lift even heavier.
“Eventually I started going to my local gym and I found the blood flow and endorphins actually helped with the brain fatigue.
“I ended up being stronger after my stroke than I was before.”
Greg is among the 87,000 survivors of stroke living in Queensland.
It is estimated that about 29 strokes a day are experienced by Australians of working age (18-64) every year.
As part of National Stroke Week (August 7-13), the Stroke Foundation is encouraging the community to fight stroke together by bringing people together to share knowledge, support and resources to help prevent strokes from occurring and to aid in the recovery process for those who have experienced a stroke.
Greg said he fought back after stroke for the sake of his family.
“My recovery wouldn’t have been possible without the love and support of my family: they were my cheer squad,” he said.
Stroke Foundation chief executive officer Dr Lisa Murphy thanked Greg for spreading the F.A.S.T. message.
“We know that the faster a stroke patient gets to hospital and receives medical treatment, the better their chance of survival and successful rehabilitation,” she said.
“More than 80 per cent of strokes are preventable. You can help saving a life by learning the F.A.S.T. signs of stroke.”
The signs are:
- Face – Check their face. Has their mouth drooped?
- Arms – Can they lift both arms?
- Speech – Is their speech slurred?; Do they understand you?
- Time – Time is critical.
If you see any of these signs, call 000 straight away.
National Stroke Week is the Stroke Foundation’s annual awareness campaign.
You can support the campaign by sharing, retweeting or creating your own social media post on any platform.
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