When David O’Donnell from Ballina in County Tipperary was just two and a half years old, he suffered a stroke which had a lifelong impact.

Now 23, he is completing a master’s degree in Psychological Science at the University of Limerick, with plans of becoming a doctor in education and child psychology and is one of the Irish Heart Foundations newest and youngest Patient Champions.

It was November 2004 when David’s parents faced every parent’s nightmare. One night, out of nowhere, they heard their toddler moaning and groaning on the baby monitor at various times during the night. David’s parents checked on him each time, but he appeared to be sleeping again. When the family woke up at 8am they noticed that David couldn’t speak at all or move his right side, he was just smiling. They brought David to the GP who advised his parents to bring him straight to University Hospital Limerick.

At the hospital the family’s world turned upside down. As part of his assessment David was sent for an MRI which confirmed that he had suffered a stroke. Doctors were baffled, “They had no explanation of a baby coming in with a stroke and told my parents this”, David recalls, “they couldn’t find any clear reason”.

After two nights in University Hospital Limerick, David was transferred to Crumlin Children’s Hospital where he stayed for 3-4 weeks. He was “assessed by cardiologists and haematologists, but it was ultimately a paediatric neurologist who confirmed that the stroke was caused by a virus of no known origin”. During this time, David received physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy. He remembers none of it, but the impact was significant, and recovery was long.

A stroke is a brain injury and happens when the blood supply to a part of your brain is interrupted. This can damage some of your brain cells. About 7,500 strokes happen in Ireland each year.

For his parents and three sisters it was a time of worry and uncertainty. The wider family has had heart related issues, “My granddad had a heart attack before I was born, and my nana had a stroke in recent years,” he says. “The doctors don’t know why it happened to me. It was very tough for everyone.”

“Growing up, especially through primary school, I was very conscious of being different”. Day-to-day life could bring challenges. “My walk isn’t the best, and my right hand doesn’t really work that well,” David says. “I was always conscious of that, and it held me back psychologically more than physically”. He required physiotherapy and attended speech and language therapy while in primary school.

Secondary school was a turning point in Davids’s life. He credits Villiers School in Limerick with giving him confidence and opportunities. “They got me involved in different activities,” he says. He played schools rugby, became a 6^th year prefect, and even travelled to Uganda on a fundraising trip in Transition Year, raising €2,500 to get there. Meeting children with conditions like clubfoot had a big impact. “I could relate to them. It made me appreciate what I have and want to help others.”

When David went to university his mindset changed. “Before, I was very conscious of being different,” he says.

He has completed his BA in Psychology and is now busy working towards his master’s degree, due to finish next August. He returned to Villiers for his college placement and is delighted to now be a staff member there. His plan is to complete a doctorate in education and child psychology. “I want to help children who face challenges like I did,” he says.

These days David has adapted to manage most tasks and only needs an occasional check-up with his GP. Cooking remains a challenge, but luckily his girlfriend helps. “It’s no good sitting at home being sad,” he says. “I got a second chance, and I’m glad I’m here.”

Sport was, and still is, one of his passions. He plays play pitch and putt and padel every weekend. Rugby and soccer too, although torn ligaments mean playing both is now recreational.  When not playing sport, he follows Munster rugby and “I love watching football too, Barcelona is my team”.

David’s determination to help others led him to the Irish Heart Foundation. “I saw a friend on LinkedIn working with them and I had always wanted to volunteer or work with them in some capacity,” he explains. That connection led him to the Irish Heart Foundations Patient Champions programme, a move he describes as “life changing.”

The Patient Champions programme was developed to help, train and support heart and stroke patients across Ireland on the most effective ways to make real and positive change happen. The programme is free of charge, delivered online and accessible to patients with a heart or stroke diagnosis throughout Ireland.

“It’s been brilliant,” David says. “Pauline, who runs the sessions, is amazing. You can see how much she cares, and that makes a huge difference.” The weekly in depth training sessions gave David more than information, participation in the programme also gave him confidence.

David hopes to use his skills to improve conditions locally and nationally for other stroke survivors. “I’ll take that confidence forward, along with the ability to help people, which is what I want to do in my career as a psychologist. So, it really goes hand in hand for me. I’m just delighted and grateful for the opportunity”.

David is also in the process of joining the Irish Heart Foundations Young Stroke Survivors Network. The Network gives young stroke survivors the opportunity to meet and chat with others and to learn from their knowledge and experience, something that so many of the group have found helpful. David is excited about joining “it’ll be great to talk to others with similar experiences”.

The last few years have changed Davids’s perception of his situation.