Tremendous support for this stroke survivor -
Eight-Year-Old Boy Spots Symptoms Of Stroke & Saves His Great-Grandma
Eathan Flood-Waters (<<name goals), 8,
visits his great-grandmother, 81-year-old Eleanor Mercure (both pictured below) - almost every day after school -
and they usually watch television or play games together.
Although during a recent visit, Eathan realised something was noticeably different about his great-grandmother's demeanour and swiftly contacted emergency services who were prepared and prompt with helping Eleanor receive appropriate medical assistance for the life-or-death emergency that is stroke.
visits his great-grandmother, 81-year-old Eleanor Mercure (both pictured below) - almost every day after school -
and they usually watch television or play games together.
Although during a recent visit, Eathan realised something was noticeably different about his great-grandmother's demeanour and swiftly contacted emergency services who were prepared and prompt with helping Eleanor receive appropriate medical assistance for the life-or-death emergency that is stroke.
Stroke spotter, Eathan Flood-Waters, has reflected on the events that led to his stroke smart actions with Eleanor's life-threatening situation -
"I went over to watch a movie and she coughed really loud and started mumbling and she pressed a button on the phone and then another button, but she couldn't finish...I ran next door to my Nama's [nickname for his grandmother, Linda] house and told her, 'you have to come right now because something is wrong!'".
Stroke Heroes Act FAST!
Given time is crucial for optimal stroke rehabilitation (when one is struck by stroke) and clever eight-year-old Eathan had an exceptionally quick + calm reaction to the pressing emergency, his great-granny progressed well in her particular stroke rehabilitation that could have so easily been far worse.
Time lost is brain lost.
Eathan also received a Young Hero Award
from his local fire department
(receiving his award from the noble ambos and hose jockeys, above, with his great-granny, stroke survivor, Eleanor, by his side)
Eathan also received a Young Hero Award
from his local fire department
(receiving his award from the noble ambos and hose jockeys, above, with his great-granny, stroke survivor, Eleanor, by his side)
Strokes Get The Blokes (...saving lives).
"He is a wonderful boy. He visits me almost every day for at least an hour or two and I really enjoy his company,"
stroke survivor, Eleanor Mercure, reflected,
"I live alone and I'm so glad he was there with me that day."
stroke survivor, Eleanor Mercure, reflected,
"I live alone and I'm so glad he was there with me that day."
As a young stroke sufferer with disastrous life-altering effects, you could look at your life and wonder where you'd be in such if the stroke/s (which cruelly - and uncontrollably - stripped your youthful, promising life of its purpose & progression) hadn't happened and I certainly have, but I too am grateful for such a vast constant struggle over many years adding further substance that I didn't have before. With such a reflective mindset, I also value the ongoing loss and torment as a way to inspire others to strive for their lives if such tragedy comes knocking as well as adding perspective to life itself. Furthermore, I appreciate that the world can finally see exactly what I'm capable of as well as those close allies who consistently consider + support and that we all can see just how far my damaged mind has particularly come since those morbid years when (on top of the sudden mix of truly awful brain deficits thrown my way) death was considered likely (as it currently stands, approximately 2/3 of stroke sufferers die within just the initial few years of a brain attack #!!! #majority #strokesareseriouslyserious) and the particular brain damage acquired meant I required 24-hour care for years all the while my peers were relishing in the prime of our lives given youth, health and independence (why couldn't this have happened after I had at least properly established my place in the world?!).
While I physically looked 'fine' (the physical effects caused by Stroke 1 - 50% visual field loss and slight RHS body weakness - have never been a concern of mine), if I didn't have my selfless Mummy (an award-winning registered nurse for almost 50 years with a Master's degree of Mental Health, in particular #sheknowswhatisgoingon) always there to offer kind reminders to ensure I took my daily dose of steroids, blood thinners & various medication prescribed (+ sort their ongoing supply as I have absolutely no clue), to nurture and encourage my rehabilitation and daily life, to constantly be my courteous driver and to organise the regular stream of occupational therapy, speech & language therapy + GP, support planning & neurologist appointments over the past 6.5 years (thank you ever so much, Mummy!), I would have been forced to live in an aged-care facility for many years/indefinitely (!!!) which does currently indeed happen to young stroke survivors (despite the fact they should be in a more age-appropriate setting that is yet to be created) who are not as fortunate as I have been in regards to family support (a fellow Australian stroke sufferer named Kirby Littley - also a young teacher - recently was the subject of an eye-opening article on such in The Australian Newspaper after being made to live in an aged-care nursing home after a stroke at just 28 years of age - describing the acquired brain injury's aftermath as being 'punished' for having a stroke #beawareoflifeafterstroke). From my own experiences as well as various discussions and my particular research, the world is not (yet) accommodating towards brain injuries.
So why does our society still tend to neglect mental health?
While I physically looked 'fine' (the physical effects caused by Stroke 1 - 50% visual field loss and slight RHS body weakness - have never been a concern of mine), if I didn't have my selfless Mummy (an award-winning registered nurse for almost 50 years with a Master's degree of Mental Health, in particular #sheknowswhatisgoingon) always there to offer kind reminders to ensure I took my daily dose of steroids, blood thinners & various medication prescribed (+ sort their ongoing supply as I have absolutely no clue), to nurture and encourage my rehabilitation and daily life, to constantly be my courteous driver and to organise the regular stream of occupational therapy, speech & language therapy + GP, support planning & neurologist appointments over the past 6.5 years (thank you ever so much, Mummy!), I would have been forced to live in an aged-care facility for many years/indefinitely (!!!) which does currently indeed happen to young stroke survivors (despite the fact they should be in a more age-appropriate setting that is yet to be created) who are not as fortunate as I have been in regards to family support (a fellow Australian stroke sufferer named Kirby Littley - also a young teacher - recently was the subject of an eye-opening article on such in The Australian Newspaper after being made to live in an aged-care nursing home after a stroke at just 28 years of age - describing the acquired brain injury's aftermath as being 'punished' for having a stroke #beawareoflifeafterstroke). From my own experiences as well as various discussions and my particular research, the world is not (yet) accommodating towards brain injuries.
So why does our society still tend to neglect mental health?
We deserve far better than what is the reality at present, but the common attitude by others (that I too have sadly experienced firsthand) is to avoid and ignore people who have mind woes for it appears to be far too confronting and confusing a concept for the public to actively embrace and support.
As it currently seems in our otherwise advanced world, this is the accepted practice.
Vulnerability & Post-Stroke Experiences Of
Working-Age Survivors During Rehabilitation
Isn't it about time we gain a more thorough understanding and supportive approach towards strokes and the lingering, cruel aftermath some survivors & their carers have to suffer?
The ongoing struggle doesn't necessarily end simply because we survived the beginning days/weeks after a cerebrovascular accident (currently, OVER 1/2 of those initial survivors will then go on to die within just a few years #majority) and look 'fine' (#sheerignorance #hiddendisability).
The ongoing struggle doesn't necessarily end simply because we survived the beginning days/weeks after a cerebrovascular accident (currently, OVER 1/2 of those initial survivors will then go on to die within just a few years #majority) and look 'fine' (#sheerignorance #hiddendisability).
As of just 26 years of age until now (more than 1/2 of my adult years and still growing), I have not been in the driver's seat of my own life. Instead, I have been forced into the far-less-desirable passenger seat, having very little control of life's progression, constantly trying to deal with a cruel-yet-hidden disability which was suddenly (& unfairly) acquired one quiet morning as I woke. Add to the direct effects, I have been confronted with excessive controlling & harsh, inaccurate judgement by others (even when it is truly not necessary - some are yet to understand my range of brain capabilities that are still in pristine working order) & so coldly dismissed + forgotten and even ridiculed by some, all the while as I watch life cruelly pass on by with its actual progress set at at a painfully slow speed that understandably makes my young self feel anxious, wishing I could (and persistently trying to, in vain) change the direction or speed up the process, even manoeuvre into a reverse parallel parking spot that I once could always do with ease (the euphemisms are on a rampage today!).
Can you just simply imagine what such stagnate-yet-constantly-challenging-and-alienating Limbo feels like for someone in their (intended) youthful years? 6+ years (the majority of my otherwise fruitful, young years and only continuing to grow) of continually being unfairly defined by my limitations, sometimes avoided + banished as 'not good enough anymore' or 'someone else's problem' (even by people I once thought were genuine friends) and also judged harshly because it seems to be currently accepted by many in society to (ignorantly) discredit those with brain injuries for they are now considered 'unworthy'. As in-your-face as ever, I am here to help change that ill-informed perception with all my endearing chitty chat, firsthand perspective and passionate advocating.
Thank you ever so much for joining in on this wild quest of rediscovery, enlightenment, education and of course, side-splitting humour. It sure has been a bumpy ride (<<understatement #brokenandengulfedrollercoaster), but this Laird Lotus Flower (see below) is only continuing to rise above the sheer darkness that has aggressively shaded my young life, blossoming inner strength and beauty for all of the world to see.
Can you just simply imagine what such stagnate-yet-constantly-challenging-and-alienating Limbo feels like for someone in their (intended) youthful years? 6+ years (the majority of my otherwise fruitful, young years and only continuing to grow) of continually being unfairly defined by my limitations, sometimes avoided + banished as 'not good enough anymore' or 'someone else's problem' (even by people I once thought were genuine friends) and also judged harshly because it seems to be currently accepted by many in society to (ignorantly) discredit those with brain injuries for they are now considered 'unworthy'. As in-your-face as ever, I am here to help change that ill-informed perception with all my endearing chitty chat, firsthand perspective and passionate advocating.
Thank you ever so much for joining in on this wild quest of rediscovery, enlightenment, education and of course, side-splitting humour. It sure has been a bumpy ride (<<understatement #brokenandengulfedrollercoaster), but this Laird Lotus Flower (see below) is only continuing to rise above the sheer darkness that has aggressively shaded my young life, blossoming inner strength and beauty for all of the world to see.
Here stands a blooming Laird Lotus
F.Y.I -
Some may find themselves asking this heavy question -
It's quite the thought-provoking rhetorical question given the range of invisible effects one may experience when their mind is intensely (+ constantly) suffering and the (above) forward-thinking Aussie article aims to bring our current society's (at times, warped) perception of mental health into the spotlight.
Generally speaking, the world does seem to have come a considerable way since some of the previous presumptions made about those who suffered from mental illnesses as once so often being considered as impaired moral failures with whom you should try to avoid as they had a weakness of character and were simply and essentially seeking the attention of others.
Does this clouded mindset still ring a bell to you?
Despite definite progress, the stigma, avoidance & cruel judgement so often associated with mental illnesses are still evident in society at present day and if your brain's functions are compromised (and others are given a heads-up about such so as to be on guard to start eagerly + harshly critiquing), the ignorant people of the world will judge you unfairly, regarding their opinion and thought process above yours regardless of your actual intellect (take my word - it has been my life and that of countless other stroke survivors #wearestrokepros + a range of souls dealing with various mental illnesses that do not necessarily affect one's intelligence).
As the mind is our most complex organ, it is still considered impossible to precisely identify specific biological mechanisms to most forms of mental illness and thus, people tend to dismiss it altogether, regarding other (less troubling) health concerns higher up on their list of concerns and sympathies for others.
Dishearteningly, I've experienced such poor treatment firsthand as a two-time stroke survivor and it all comes down to a lack of understanding which is one of the reasons I write this little brain blog as education & awareness are key.
The above article encourages its readers to put an end to questioning 'what is mental illness?' by instead adopting a more proactive + supportive approach with, 'what can be done?'.
F*** YES!
Understanding mental illness is still considered in its infancy -
We Scientists Know So Little About Mental Illness
Shouldn't such be invested in more so?
F*** YES!
Understanding mental illness is still considered in its infancy -
We Scientists Know So Little About Mental Illness
Shouldn't such be invested in more so?
Life as a two-time young adult stroke sufferer (with considerable brain damage then unavoidably inflicted) feels like a mix of extremes
- a dependent & controlled infant child meets an elderly person who needs full-time care despite their particular intelligence, age + life skills & experience and all the while, being thoughtlessly excluded by some peers, as well as unfairly critiqued + criticised and at times, even ridiculed and dismissed.
It seems to be the accepted attitude (<<which it shouldn't be. At all) because the onus currently tends to be on the person with the brain injury with any sign of struggle, loss and/or challenges and not on how others should consider and treat such full-time battlers.
It seems to be the accepted attitude (<<which it shouldn't be. At all) because the onus currently tends to be on the person with the brain injury with any sign of struggle, loss and/or challenges and not on how others should consider and treat such full-time battlers.
Add to that, regularly being summoned to confronting medical assessments & appointments (like I'm at the end of life - am I?!) whether I want to go or not that after 6+ considerable years of such, all feel like the same disappointing empty promises being continually repeated (<<the broken brain retains such - go figure!).
relationships/independence.
Focus on who they are now and make the effort to deliberately celebrate such.
Based on my own experiences, research and discussions,
young stroke survivors and fellow acquired brain injury survivors (<< in Australia, approximately 3/4 of all ABIs are under retirement age #majority) are not wanting to be ostracised and left alone.
young stroke survivors and fellow acquired brain injury survivors (<< in Australia, approximately 3/4 of all ABIs are under retirement age #majority) are not wanting to be ostracised and left alone.
Furthermore, in my opinion, we are not wanting to be treated like an infant or elderly person when we are neither.
We do want to be consistently included in glorious life and treated with value and consideration
- you'll surely be rewarded with our endearing charm and inner warmth + appreciation, guaranteed.
After suffering two strokes while in her 40s, Angie Read Doyal, was left with severe anxiety & depression -
"What I want people to learn from my story is that mental health deficits after a stroke can be just as debilitating (although “invisible”) as physical deficits & that it’s not your fault, it’s not something you could have {necessarily} prevented".
Support from complete strangers (such as the uplifting message, below) can be just as empowering & life reaffirming as from your loved ones and I am always open to new people coming into my world (which they so kindly often do - supernovas!).
In fact, it is humbling to no end to have people I may not be familiar with offer such selfless support and I encourage you to proactively get involved in the life of a stroke survivor.
It can be quite lonely without you around telling us jokes!
Fellow Aussie stroke survivor (obviously a legend), Katrina (<<#namegoals) Cunningham, recently wrote her own enlightening blog entry for refreshing old mate, Enable Me (innovative website by Australia's Stroke Foundation aimed at assisting stroke survivors and their supporters alike), about how devastating & alienating the aftermath of surviving brain damage caused by stroke can be.
Below is an excerpt from Katrina's blog entry which struck a chord with this stroke sister & the cruel life (including the incredibly ignorant *and currently accepted* way people tend to treat those with brain injuries) that too has been uncontrollably forced upon me (plus my devoted mother and younger sister whom care for myself, in particular) now for over half of my adult years (and growing) -
Do you ever feel forgotten?
I know I did on many occasions, and still do. After I had my stroke, many people seemed to pull away, I was too needy and too much trouble for them to bother with anymore, or so it seemed.
In my workplace, there were some accommodations made the year I returned to work and especially in the early days, but after that I was just expected to do what everyone else was doing and not complain or try to get an adjustment.
It was like I was invisible. Like the stroke had never happened or affected my life.
I still limped, I was slow with everything from walking to marking papers. I remember one day in my second year back being handed a duty-roster for the school athletics carnival where I had been placed on all-day year 9 and 10 year group supervision. I approached the sport coordinator (who I had worked with for years) and asked for a different job, one where I did not have to be on my feet all day, where I wasn't in the middle of a noisy oval with 300 screaming year 9 and 10 students. I was told no.
It was like I was invisible. Like the stroke had never happened or affected my life.
I still limped, I was slow with everything from walking to marking papers. I remember one day in my second year back being handed a duty-roster for the school athletics carnival where I had been placed on all-day year 9 and 10 year group supervision. I approached the sport coordinator (who I had worked with for years) and asked for a different job, one where I did not have to be on my feet all day, where I wasn't in the middle of a noisy oval with 300 screaming year 9 and 10 students. I was told no.
The reason?
Well, there are people who've had cancer and they can't be expected to be out there with the students.
In tears I had to go to the new assistant principal and explain the whole story, from my stroke to the lack of accommodation or empathy. The first thing she said?
"People recover from cancer. There's no one on staff currently who has cancer or who've indicated that they need special consideration because they've had cancer.
A brain injury never goes away."
She was right. There was some fast back-tracking and rearranging of the roster on the part of the sport coordinator. But no apology.
I think people forget you have a disability.
They can't see your fatigue. The way loud and busy places make you tired and anxious. The way that parts of your body ache, or don't work the way they used to.
It's invisible.
- Katrina Cunningham,
a switched-on young stroke survivor
What I've too sadly discovered as a stroke sufferer -
The Concerning Discrepancies Between Stroke & Diseases That Are Lower On Cause Of Death &/Or Disabilities List
Below: UK's Stroke Association provides a telling bar graph of the current (askew) health priorities for government and charity research funding when compared with the actual leading causes of death (see further below) and leading causes of disability.
While stroke is THE BIGGEST cause of complex disability worldwide and is the SECOND largest cause of death in the world (following heart disease, see below), it has never received the same level of recognition, support and funding as other conditions that are further down the official list of health of concerns.
Close to a whopping 70% of ALL medical funding went to cancer (that is in fact lower than stroke on both the complex disability & cause of death lists, see below)..
Just 3% of funding went to stroke.
3 PER CENT = 23+ TIMES LESS
than the funding allocated to cancer despite stroke causing more deaths (ranked #2 after heart disease *!!!!* - currently an astronomical two-thirds of stroke sufferers end up dead within just a year - such overwhelming statistics urgently need to be acknowledged + reduced) as well as stroke being the leader of complex disability (which surely affects a person's quality of life and need for support more than anything in the wake of a health scare), plus currently in a considerable amount of cases, stroke cannot be predicted and prevention can be complex (i.e.: various doctors have stated there was no way to have prevented my particular strokes that struck at just 26 years of age #strokescanstrikeanyone), requiring more attention, societal shifts and research.
3 PER CENT = 23+ TIMES LESS
than the funding allocated to cancer despite stroke causing more deaths (ranked #2 after heart disease *!!!!* - currently an astronomical two-thirds of stroke sufferers end up dead within just a year - such overwhelming statistics urgently need to be acknowledged + reduced) as well as stroke being the leader of complex disability (which surely affects a person's quality of life and need for support more than anything in the wake of a health scare), plus currently in a considerable amount of cases, stroke cannot be predicted and prevention can be complex (i.e.: various doctors have stated there was no way to have prevented my particular strokes that struck at just 26 years of age #strokescanstrikeanyone), requiring more attention, societal shifts and research.
If stroke was acknowledged as much as other certain health concerns, there would be various months (or even a mere week) allocated to highlight each of the range of lobes and systems of the brain & bran stem that strokes strike seeing as they all can result in varied ghastly effects (life-changing disability aside #numberonecauseofcomplexdisability, as it currently stands, you're most likely GOING TO DIE within just the initial YEAR after a stroke) with a focus on ways for everyone to identify the symptoms (Stroke Heroes Act FAST!), to proactively reduce their individual stroke risk and the cruel stigma currently associated with brain injuries + their aftermath (the struggle doesn't end because we survived) & recognise + celebrate those who have suffered strokes, but using current 'trends' we can comfortably deduce that is not going to happen anytime soon like it does with other, less concerning, illnesses.
It's also worth noting that only 6% of funding was allocated to dementia despite its high ranking on the cause of death list (#7).
A truly awful disease of the mind that presently has no happy ending, regardless of when it is diagnosed.
Shouldn't both be invested in more so?
Why do stroke and dementia cruelly get tossed aside?
The mind is everything.
According to a recent article by UK's Stroke Association, for every £48 allocated to research funding per person with stroke,
there was £241 allocated to research funding per person with cancer
- that's over 5 TIMES MORE).
Stroke sufferers (& their PAs/carers) deserve far better.
there was £241 allocated to research funding per person with cancer
- that's over 5 TIMES MORE).
Stroke sufferers (& their PAs/carers) deserve far better.
Stroke = #2 LARGEST cause of death (after heart disease)
+ stroke is THE #1 LEADING cause of complex disability worldwide
Revealing perspective from another young stroke survivor -
The Lingering Symptoms Of A Brain Injury Force Me To Live A Double Life
The Lingering Symptoms Of A Brain Injury Force Me To Live A Double Life
Judgement, ignorance and exclusion also struck a fellow young stroke survivor, Kanika Gupta, who too suffered a stroke while in her (otherwise youthful, prime) working years and experienced a truly devastating byproduct of a brain injury one can suffer (at times alone, due to the ignorance of our often judgemental & unaware society).
The differences I live with are not who I am. Rather, they are integral to how I must function.
My full-time occupation now is learning how to function and interact with the world in a way entirely different than anything I've ever known.
In my efforts to be social, I find myself leading a double life. Not wanting to attract undue attention, I put on a disguise.
Thanks in part to the fact I have no outwardly visible impairments, I am often able to go incognito and appear as “normal” as everyone else.
But every time I step outside my house, I must navigate a minefield of potential triggers. One wrong step and I’ll exacerbate my symptoms, with unpleasant consequences.
While I have become very skilled at playing this game, it gets exhausting to constantly put on an act, anticipate triggers and position myself to mitigate them without being noticed.
This is a lot of multitasking for someone who isn’t really good at it and has limited mental processing power."
This is a lot of multitasking for someone who isn’t really good at it and has limited mental processing power."
Amen, stroke sister, Kanika.
An informative article shining a light on an invisible effect of stroke -
Emotional Impact Of Stroke
"Strokes usually come out of the blue and can bring dramatic and unexpected Most of the people we spoke to were initially shocked and worried about the changes in their body and how they would cope with the things they were so used to doing.
Several people said that they felt overwhelmed and hopeless and had broken down."
Aftermath of considerable brain damage caused by stroke
= Cruel & complex icebergs
Emotional Impact Of Stroke
"Strokes usually come out of the blue and can bring dramatic and unexpected Most of the people we spoke to were initially shocked and worried about the changes in their body and how they would cope with the things they were so used to doing.
Several people said that they felt overwhelmed and hopeless and had broken down."
Aftermath of considerable brain damage caused by stroke
= Cruel & complex icebergs