Dorset stroke survivor says his wife's quick action saved his life
Dr John Stevens is now urging other people to 'Act FAST' at the first signs of a stroke
A stroke survivor from Wimborne is urging people to call 999 at the first sign of stroke.
New NHS data shows the average time between someone’s first symptom and a 999 call is nearly an hour and a half.
As a result, the health service is re-launching its ‘Act FAST’ campaign to make people aware of the symptoms of stroke and encourage more to call 999 immediately.
Dr John Stephens, a stroke survivor from Wimborne, told us that without his wife’s quick action to his stroke he’d be dead.
He said: “If I hadn't got there when I did, I wouldn't have had the blood clot removed and I could’ve had either a severe disability or even died but I genuinely feel that I've been given a second chance at life, I really do think that.”
His wife, Margaret Stephen’s, a speech and language therapist from Wimborne, explained what made call 999 immediately.
“I've worked with people who’ve experienced a lot of damage to their brains as a result of their stroke, so I know how important it is to act quickly.
“The quicker you get to hospital, the quicker you can get treatment and the less brain damage and long-term effects you’ll suffer.”
John described his stroke as “coming out of the blue”, suddenly waking up one morning with blurred vision, a drooped face, slurred speech and unable to feel or lift his right arm,
This prompted Margerat to quickly call 999 and John was taken to Royal Bournemouth Hospital, where he was assessed using a CT brain scan and rapidly transferred to Southampton Hospital to remove a blood clot in his brain.
John said: “I actually thought I was pretty fit and healthy, so it came right out the blue and that's something people don't realise, a stroke can happen with no warning.”
After 10 days in hospital, John was transferred for intensive rehabilitation on the Acute Stroke Unit at Poole General Hospital, before returning home after six weeks.
Since recovering from his stroke, John is back to walking his dog and has returned to work as a GP.
He said: “Over the last few years, there's been huge advances in stroke treatment so if get to hospital quickly, there's a number of treatments they can give you to remove the clot and preserve as much brain tissue as possible.
“The problem is, the longer it takes you to get to hospital, the more damage they will be.”