When Justin Dullard walked his daughter Emma down the aisle in June, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
The father, daughter bond was strengthened when the 29-year-old saved her dad's life six years ago.
Emma, a police officer, was heading to work in Kew in December 2018 when she had a missed call from her dad, Justin, a 'tough as nails' farmer, more than 200 kilometres way in Pine Grove East, near Lockington.
"I hadn't heard from Dad in a couple of days which was unusual. I checked my phone and had a missed call, and a text message. Dad had sent me a blurry picture of dirt," Emma said.
"My stomach sank, I knew something was horribly wrong. I dropped my handbag and started calling him, after five minutes he picked up and I could just faintly hear breathing. My gut instincts kicked in, and I yelled for my housemate to call 000.
"I got in the car and my husband, Shane, started driving. I didn't know if Dad would still be alive when I got there. That drive was the worst three hours of my life."
Justin had experienced a stroke two days earlier in the sheepyards. He had lost consciousness, collapsed, and crawled 600 metres back to the house.
When Emma arrived at Echuca Hospital, her dad was unrecognisable. The 62-year-old was in ICU and was eventually transferred to the rehab ward.
Emma was determined for her dad to have the best possible chance at recovery. She took him home to the city, where he attended an innovative rehab hospital which allowed him to regain use of the right side of his body.
Despite not being able to talk for weeks after his stroke, and struggling with aphasia, Justin worked closely with a specialist and has since regained his speech.
Justin said he's so proud of Emma for listening to her own gut instincts that day.
"I didn't even know what a phone was, so I don't know how I ended up making the phone call. But it was a miracle Emma knew something was wrong and sent help, a bloody miracle," Justin said.
"In the lead up to the wedding, I worked closely with a speech pathologist. I'm so glad I was able to get up and speak at her wedding. It was such a special day."
The family are sharing their story to mark National Stroke Week which runs from August 5 to 11 and encourages people to know the F.A.S.T. (Face, Arms, Speech and Time) message to ensure they can save the life of a loved one if they have a stroke.
Stroke Foundation Chief Executive Officer Dr Lisa Murphy said regional Australians are 17% more likely to experience a stroke than their metropolitan counterparts.
"We know that the faster a stroke patient gets to hospital and receives medical treatment, the better their chance of survival and successful rehabilitation," Dr Murphy said.
"More than 80% of strokes are preventable. You can help saving a life by learning the F.A.S.T. signs of stroke."
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.
