21/05/2026
Reposting from Stroke Awareness week a few years ago - everything is still as relevant and important today! REMEMBER AND ACT F.A.S.T.
WHAT IS A STROKE AND WHAT CAN CAUSE IT
A stroke can also be described as a “brain attack”. Like all organs in our body, our brain needs oxygen and other nutrients to function and survive. A stroke causes the vital supply of oxygen to be restricted or cut-off completely and brain cells start to die. This can lead to brain injury, disability, or even death.
So how does this happen? The 2 main causes of stroke are:
1/ A blood clot blocking the blood vessels and stopping the blood supply (ischemic stroke – 85% of all cases)
2/ A bleed in the brain, where a weakened blood vessel bursts (haemorrhagic stroke – 15% of all cases)
There is also a related condition called a TIA (transient ischaemic attack) or mini-stroke. This is when the blood flow is only temporality disrupted and symptoms last less than 24 hours. This still must be treated urgently as it is often a warning that you are at risk of having a full stroke in the near future. Seek medical advice as soon as possible, even if your symptoms have resolved.
Certain conditions can increase your risk of having a stroke, and these include (but are not limited to): high blood pressure, high cholesterol, irregular heart beat and diabetes. Anything that increases your risk of developing one of these conditions (e.g. smoking, diet, physical fitness) all contribute towards increasing your risk of having a stroke.
However…. I am an example of how a stroke can happen to anyone without any of these symptoms too. At the age of 22 I had a major bleed in my brain while out cycling in the Scottish Highlands. This was found to be due to a malformation in one of the blood vessels in my brain, that had been there since birth, weakening and rupturing. The photo in this post is an MRI scan of my brain 18 years later showing the damage that was left behind. I was very lucky; partly as the vital areas of my brain were unaffected, and partly because with rehabilitation my brain quickly formed new neural pathways so some of the healthy parts of my brain could take over the roles of the areas that were damaged. This involved over a year of specialist speech and language therapy; it was my speech, reading and understanding that were affected the worse.
Take care of yourself and take care of your brain. If you develop any symptoms of a stroke (facial weakness, arm or leg weakness, slurred speech or difficulty speaking), then seek medical help FAST. Remember it is a blue light ambulance emergency so call 999 so you can have the emergency treatment before it is too late.
Jo x
