Over the past few months I have been helping some stroke survivors share their stories in national newspapers by offering PR support to Different Strokes, the stroke charity for stroke survivors of working age.
Like most people, I always thought strokes only happened to people when they were elderly. In fact, one in four strokes happen to people of working age. But many of the stroke survivors who are part of Different Strokes’ peer support network say they were told by healthcare professionals that they were too young to have had a stroke. In some cases this leads to crucial delays in diagnosis and treatment, meaning that the survivor is left with much worse long term symptoms.
One of the survivors who shared her story was Kerri-Ann Wool – she was told by one doctor that she was depressed and to “go and get her nails done”.
Her story featured in the Sun on Sunday’s “Fabulous ” Magazine
Then it got picked up and covered by the Daily Mail online and in print
and the Daily Mirror online .
I also worked with Jim Fisher, a stroke survivor on a mission to get younger men to take their blood pressure more seriously. High blood pressure is the most common cause of stroke that we can do something about. Jim tore his vertebral artery swinging a golf club at the age of 32, causing a massive stroke that led to him spending 3 months on a stroke ward .
Jim was an apparently super fit rugby playing, marathon running young Dad, but he’d ignored warning signs about his blood pressure. Now he wants to make sure other young blokes don’t make the same mistake. He told his story in Metro and is keen to tell it to other media outlets. He’s a very personable, camera friendly bloke ! Get in touch if you are interested .
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