A Toowoomba photographer who survived a huge stroke while working overseas is urging all Queenslanders to learn the signs of stroke.
David Luxton was teaching English in Southern China and was working in Hong Kong when his symptoms first began, initially he dismissed them as a migraine.
"I felt overwhelmingly exhausted, and I was having trouble balancing on a stool. I wanted to get on a bus and sleep on the way home, but a colleague saw that something was seriously wrong and insisted on calling an ambulance," he said.
Isolated from his family, David underwent lifesaving clot-retrieval surgery in a Hong Kong hospital.
"The stroke caused significant damage to the right side of my brain, leaving me unable to walk, or use my left arm. I had a long road to recovery ahead of me," he said.
"I was in hospital over the Christmas and New Year period, and it was hard to get the physio and occupational therapy I required. Thankfully my sisters flew over and brought me back home to Australia where I spent the next two months getting intensive rehab in Robina."
Aged just 48 at the time of his stroke, David said he had no known risk factors, was fit and healthy and even held a black belt in Taekwondo.
David is among the 87,000 survivors of stroke living in Queensland. Around 20 strokes a day impact working aged Australians, aged between 18 and 65.
As part of National Stroke Week (August 7-13), 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.
David says his message to others is to keep fighting after stroke.
"Never give up on yourself or your recovery, make sure you are getting the help and support you need. Life can be different after stroke, but it can still be good," he said.
"My rehab and recovery journey has been non-linear, there have been many ups and downs. I still deal with limited movement and spasticity throughout my left side."
Stroke Foundation Chief Executive Officer Dr Lisa Murphy thanked David for helping spread the word about F.A.S.T.
"We know the faster a stroke patient gets to hospital and receives medical treatment, the better their chance is of survival and successful rehabilitation," Dr Murphy said.
"Stroke is always a medical emergency. Time saved equals brain saved."
Think F.A.S.T and ask these questions:
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 proudly supported by Major Sponsors: EMVision, AbbVie, and AstraZeneca, and Supporting Sponsors: Precision Group and Rossmax Australia.
