A woman who suffered a severe stroke while driving home from work has shared her story to emphasise the need for a critical machine at the Sunshine Coast’s primary hospital.
Charity Wishlist aims to raise $600,000 for a biplane – considered vital in treating strokes and brain aneurysms – and will hold a key fundraising event at the Wishlist Spring Carnival at the Sunshine Coast Convention Centre at Twin Waters on Friday.
Kingaroy mother-of-three Karen Quickenden recounted her experience to highlight the need for the machine at Sunshine Coast University Hospital, which has one of the busiest stroke wards in Queensland.
Her dramatic sequence of events started when local police spotted her vehicle swerving erratically.
They intervened by using their patrol car to bring her vehicle to a stop.
She was unable to move or speak and emergency services were called to cut the 42-year old free from her car before rushing her to Kingaroy Hospital.
From there, doctors confirmed she had experienced a stroke and she was flown to Brisbane’s Princess Alexandra Hospital for an emergency clot retrieval procedure, which took place eight hours after the initial stroke.
“I had no idea the stroke was coming, until it happened – I was thinking ‘what is wrong with me’. I couldn’t speak or move,” she said.
The stroke caused damage to the left side of her brain, which has affected her right arm and leg.
“My oldest daughter Tamisha, she just turned 30, and she sat at that hospital nearly every day,” she said.
“Dannica is my next oldest and she has three girls and I remember her bringing my youngest granddaughter in who would hold my hand.”
Do you have an opinion to share? Submit a Letter to the Editor at Sunshine Coast News via news@sunshinecoastnews.com.au. You must include your name and suburb.
Her youngest daughter, Maralee, was just 16 at the time.
Ms Quickenden said it was heartbreaking to be unable to support her teenager during such a challenging period for the family.
“My older daughters live in Brisbane and on the Coast, so Maralee had to grow up very quickly unfortunately, and she took over looking after our property in Kingaroy,” she said.
After three weeks of initial treatment, she was transferred to SCUH. Her journey to recovery started that day and has been ongoing for the past two years.
She spent two months as an inpatient at SCUH undergoing extensive rehabilitation, including speech therapy, physiotherapy, and other essential services.
“Every day I would drag myself out of bed – I was determined to regain my life,” she said.
Ms Quickenden has worked tirelessly to regain her ability to walk and talk and remains hopeful to achieve more movement in her right arm and fingers.
Her goal is to be able to pick up toys to play with her youngest granddaughter.
Her health journey has deeply impacted her family.
Her youngest daughter Maralee received the call about her mother while at school.
“When I saw her in hospital, it was really shocking,” Maralee said.
“I thought I was losing her.”
Tamisha said she was told her mother had a car accident and it wasn’t until later that she found out the stroke cause the car accident.
“Mum was in her 40s, she’d never had any major health issues, it was definitely a shock,” she said.
“The thing that upset me the most was that she was such an independent person and then seeing her sitting in a hospital chair not even being able to cry properly, it was heartbreaking.
“My biggest fear was if she was never going to speak again, it’s almost like a jail sentence in your own body.
“You do wonder if it would have been different, if she was closer to a major city when this happened – time is of the essence.”
A biplane would allow the health service to establish the Sunshine Coast’s first clot retrieval service.
Stroke specialists would be able to see 3D images of blood vessels in the brain in real-time.
Tamisha said a biplane would be vital at SCUH.
“If this is available to more people to increase their chances to returning to a normal life it’s only positive,” she said.
To support Wishlist and help fund the biplane for the benefit of stroke patients, make a tax-deductible donation at Wishlist or phone 5202 1777.
Scroll down to SUBSCRIBE for our FREE news feed, direct to your inbox daily.
