Recognising the signs: A 37-year-old stroke survivor’s story

Non-communicable diseases are a growing epidemic in South Africa. Heart disease and strokes are the country’s leading causes of death after HIV/Aids.

According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of South Africa, of the roughly 240 people who suffer a stroke every day, close to 70 do not survive.   

Strokes have a lifelong effect: some survivors recover fully but many are left with disabilities.

Blood carrying oxygen and nutrients is continuously pumped to the brain through a number of blood vessels. When a person has a stroke, it means the blood supply to the brain has been interrupted. This interruption could be caused by a blockage or leak in one of the arteries carrying blood to the brain. When the brain does not get sufficient oxygen and nutrients, it leads to brain damage.    

The risk of having a stroke increases with age, but people of a much younger age can also suffer strokes. This was something that George Scola found out in April 2008 when he suffered a stroke at the age of 37.

“It was a Saturday morning and I was moving house when I started feeling dizzy,” he said.

“I leaned against a wall, then slid down onto my haunches because I was trying to sit on my butt. At this point, I was not able to use my right arm or lift my right leg. It was at that particular moment that I realised that something was seriously wrong.”

Scola recalls making a feeble attempt to speak, but what came out of his mouth was incomprehensible. Dizziness, loss of balance, and the sudden weakness of an arm or leg – most often on one side of the body – are all symptoms of a stroke listed by the World Health Organisation. Other signs include numbness of the face, difficulty speaking and seeing.  

At the time he had his stroke, Scola was overweight, stressed and a light smoker. But he had no family history of strokes or heart attacks, he didn’t drink alcohol and didn’t have high cholesterol or high blood pressure.

While anyone may be at risk of having a stroke, there are some important factors that increase this risk.

Lifestyle-related factors include being obese or overweight, not being physically active, and smoking and drinking excessive amounts of alcohol. Medical factors that increase your risk of having a stroke include having a family history of strokes, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.  

Scola was lucky to receive medical attention fast, and he survived. But his life changed in a drastic way. “It’s hard to understand what has happened to you when you've had a stroke,” he said. “I had to learn how to walk and talk again.”

He stayed in hospital for eight weeks, during which time he underwent rehabilitation.

“I bid farewell to the hospital, including the team of tremendous healthcare professionals who helped me recover from a mumbling, drooling, right hemiplegic, totally confused, shocked and wheelchair-bound individual.

“After being discharged, I was able to walk, although not stable, and so climbed the two flights of stairs at my new home - on my butt - one step at a time.”

Scola had to learn to adjust to life after a stroke. Within months of the event he had lost his business and his marriage was over. “I looked for support and guidance to navigate my way back to a somewhat stable and normal life.”

He joined a support group, but most of the members were older than 60.

“I needed something more as my dynamic required different necessities. I was young and looking forward to a life that would be as close to normal as I could get,” he recalls.

Together with another survivor, Scola founded the Stroke Survivors Foundation to raise awareness and provide support to young stroke survivors in particular.

Read more about the signs and symptoms here

Don't forget: Mediclinic is offering free health screenings for heart and stroke awareness month. Visit the Mediclinic website for times and participating hospitals.

This article was paid for by Mediclinic.