Paul was a fit and healthy 42-year-old running his local Parkrun when he had a devastating stroke, and had to learn to walk and talk again.
Back in 2018 Paul was a fit and healthy 42-year-old running his local Parkrun, when he suddenly felt a headache “hitting like a hammer” through his brain.
It was in fact an arteriovenous malformation (a tangle of blood vessels) rupturing in his brain, triggering a stroke.
He spent three weeks in an induced coma at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, with swelling and bleeding on the brain and two rounds of emergency surgery.
Stand behind Paul as he runs his first marathon, six years after his stroke
Paul survived his stroke, but had to learn to walk and talk again – a huge feat in itself.
Now, six years after his stroke, Paul is back doing his favourite ‘everyday’ things like running, and is about to embark on a marathon on 15 December – his first full marathon following his stroke, 6 years to the day!
What do the numbers tell us?
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1 Australian will experience a stroke every 19 minutes
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Stroke kills more men than prostate cancer, and more women than breast cancer
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A stroke attacks more than 1.9 million brain cells per minute
Support lifechanging stroke research
Your donation will help researchers in their fight against stroke, funding vital research to improve emergency stroke care, as well as long-term stroke rehabilitation, to create more everyday moments for those affected by stroke.
Your support will enable us to advance research and patient care initiatives sooner and save more lives of people like Paul.
