Strokes are often associated with older people but, according to figures, one in four of them occur in younger people. The BBC spoke to three young survivors who wanted to share their stories to help raise awareness.
Kayleigh Trainor was 27 when she had a stroke “completely out of the blue”.
“I woke up and was getting ready for work when I looked in the mirror and noticed there was a drop in my face.
“I thought nothing of it and drove myself to work, and it wasn’t until I got there that other people were asking me if I was OK.
“I went to the chemist thinking I’d had an allergic reaction but the pharmacist was really concerned and told me to go to A&E,” she says.
The teacher, who lives in Harlow, went to hospital “believing it was an overreaction” and “apologised for wasting everyone’s time”.
But she was shocked to discover she was not wasting anyone’s time at all.
“I was rushed through, with doctors monitoring me and tests carried out. I was told I had had a stroke,” says Miss Trainor, now 32.
“I was a little bit in disbelief because to me I felt OK. I associated strokes with elderly people, I thought I couldn’t have had a stroke.”
She adds: “You think you’re exempt to these things but it can happen to anyone of us at any stage of life.”
Check out the BBC website for more stories to help raise awareness.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-56678966
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