She thought he was having a nightmare, but soon she and their daughter Róisín realised he was having a stroke. Róisín had recently completed a first aid course and both she and Lydia recognised some of Arthur’s stroke symptoms, left arm and left leg were uncoordinated and left side of his mouth and face were drooping, his speech was affected and he couldn’t sit himself up.
Reflecting on this Arthur said “I wasn’t aware I was having a stroke, but luckily my wife and daughter realised and called an ambulance immediately. I remember trying to move out of the bed and I just couldn’t”.
Thankfully the ambulance arrived fast, Róisín knew from her training that a fire brigade would also have to be called as Arthur was upstairs - this action saved even more time. Soon after he was admitted to hospital he was diagnosed with a rare bi-lateral stroke, which would mean he urgently needed a clot buster administered by Bantry Hospital followed by a thrombectomy in Cork University Hospital. Arthur had a five-week stay in hospital where he was then discharged.
Following being discharged from hospital, Arthur had a long wait of six to eight weeks without any referrals or therapy. Arthur later found out that his medical records had been misplaced. His mother then called the Irish Heart Foundation to see if they could help.
I remember trying to move out of the bed and I just couldn’t.
“My mother rang the Irish Heart Foundation Nurse Support Line to see if they could help us and they took my details. Within ten days the Irish Heart Foundation had got working on my referrals and I have to say they played out of their skin to help make up for lost time. However, some waiting lists had 55 people ahead of me and a 4-month waiting list for an appointment. In the interim, while waiting for formal therapy, I researched how to help myself, and got great help from local alternative medical practitioners, acupuncture, cranio-sacral therapy and yoga and kept exercising.
Arthur then went on to use the Young Stroke Survivors Network and the circuit training videos throughout his recovery.
Arthur was a general manager in the hotel industry for 30 years. Speaking about the impact of a stroke on his personal and family life Arthur said “Some of the biggest challenges for me were the mental challenges. With a bi-lateral stroke it was hard for me to fully understand certain things, and this impacted on my relationship with my wife and my three children. Managing fatigue was a big challenge following therapy and family support and I now have a number of strategies to manage this aspect. I also recognise some aspects of my personality has changed, I can have a short fuse and get frustrated, whereas before I was quite calm.”
Speaking of how people can be aware of signs of stroke Arthur advocates “Had I been more proactive when attending my GP, it’s quite possible I could have prevented my stroke. After the stroke it turned out I had the following conditions without knowing I had them; atrial fibrillation, sleep apnoea, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Each of these conditions are contributing factors of stroke and very common in the population in my age range. A simple cardiac scan and blood test can detect many of these symptoms and takes very little time at your GP. These are things I advocate patients to do, – be proactive with your health, don’t wait to feel sick. These are ten-to-fifteen-minute conversations with your GP. I never felt sick with any of my symptoms and was physically active.”
My mother rang the Irish Heart Foundation Nurse Support Line to see if they could help us.
The mental side of the effects of a bi-lateral stroke made it very challenging for Arthur and unfortunately in August last year lost his mother quite unexpectedly – “The mental journey was very hard, unfortunately last August my mother died and that has been very hard to deal with. I am grieving myself whilst also grieving my mother’s death, and after a bi-lateral stroke that is hard to process”.
Despite this Arthur said the services of the Irish Heart Foundation ‘are great for peer to peer support’ and ‘it works really well’. “The peer to peer support is great and very important, it has great benefits for people who need them.”
Reflecting on the help he received from the Irish Heart Foundation Arthur said “it’s great to be able to contact the Irish Heart Foundation whenever you need it, and it’s a great support for patients. I would definitely recommend the use of these services.”
‘’For me, the services have been critical in reducing a strong sense of isolation experienced following my bilateral stroke. The Irish Heart Foundation offered essential remote services based around commonly used apps and internet platforms; most importantly, there is a strong sense of community with the other participants with lots of contact and support.’’
The therapy, support and training given by the Irish Heart Foundation has been instrumental in me returning to work on a part -time basis, they equipped me well to face the challenges of getting back to work. Thank you all.”
The peer to peer support is great and very important, it has great benefits for people who need them.”
2025-06-20
