Paul Bovington was chasing his personal best time for a five-kilometre run the day stroke changed his life in 2018.
A keen Parkrunner, Paul was 11-minutes in, when he experienced a sudden and excruciating headache.
"I was at the three-kilometre mark when I started feeling like something was wrong. My head was going bang, bang, bang," Paul said.
"I looked around for a clearing and found somewhere to sit. I thought I may need to sleep off this headache, and then I lost consciousness."
At hospital, Paul, who was 42 at the time, was placed in an induced coma. Doctors performed a lifesaving emergency craniectomy, which involves removing a portion of his skull, to relieve the pressure on his brain.
"After about two weeks, I woke up from the coma, I knew I was in hospital, but I couldn't remember why. Those first few weeks were the toughest because I was struggling to come to terms with what had happened," he said.
"I suffered left-sided paralysis and couldn't do a thing for myself. I didn't know whether things would go away in time or what my future would look like.
"Then I threw everything I could into my recovery. I spent four months re-learning how to talk, walk, swallow, shower and dress. I set a goal that I wanted to walk out of rehab, and thankfully I was able to."
Running is now a major part of Paul's recovery journey. Since his stroke, he has completed a half marathon and says he's now training for a full marathon.
Paul considers himself lucky that his stroke struck during a community event, and an off-duty paramedic suspected he was having a stroke and called an ambulance. He now volunteers his time to speak to other survivors of stroke in South Australian stroke wards.
Paul is sharing his story to mark National Stroke Week which runs from August 5 to 11 and encourages people to learn 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 Paul's story highlights that stroke can strike at any time.
"Unfortunately, stroke does not discriminate. Paul was young, fit and healthy. In fact, around 29 strokes a day are experienced by working aged Australians, aged between 18 and 64," Dr Murphy said.
"We know that the faster a stroke patient gets to hospital and receives medical treatment, the better their chance of survival and successful rehabilitation. 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.
