When Antonio Iannella had a stroke while on the trip of a lifetime back in 2009, he wasn't sure he would ever be able to speak again, now the Melton man has published his first book.
Antonio was on a family holiday in Vietnam when his stroke struck. Aged just 38 at the time, he spent time in ICU in Saigon, before he was flown home to Melbourne to begin the long and arduous road to recovery.
"At first, the stroke took a lot from me. It impacted every part of my life. I spent three months doing rehabilitation and had to re-learn how to stand, walk and sit up," Antonio said.
"I was determined not to let my stroke define my life. I wanted to get back to doing the things I loved and putting my brain to use, and I achieved that by being creative, making music and writing this book."
A key part of his recovery process was writing a memoir. Titled 'Saigon Siren,' the book has been a 12-year-passion project which has helped Antonio find his voice again.
"The book is a story about hope, determination, family, mental health, creativity and my life after stroke," he said.
"Writing this book has been crucial to help me grow. I want it to give hope to survivors of stroke to show them anything is possible. I still have disabilities, including fatigue, vision issues.
"But I want to challenge myself and prove that I can still do anything I want. It's my goal to show others that you can have a great life after stroke."
A long-time Stroke Foundation advocate, the book also details the F.A.S.T. (Face, Arms, Speech and Time) message and the signs to look out for if you suspect your loved one is having a stroke.
Stroke Foundation Chief Executive Officer Dr Lisa Murphy said Antonio is among the 110,000 Victorian survivors of stroke living in the community.
"Antonio has shown great courage and determination in his recovery after his stroke. Considering he had to learn how to walk again, he has gone on to achieve many amazing things," Dr Murphy said.
"Sadly, Antonio's story is all too common. Stroke does not discriminate and happens to people of all ages. In fact, 1 in strokes occur in working aged Australians, aged under 65 years old.
