Greenwood physiotherapist Robert Vander Kraats has not allowed his stroke to slow him down. Instead, it is driving him to help others through their own recovery.
The father-of-two was halfway through a consult in 2015 when he experienced a sudden excruciating headache.
"I had to excuse myself and within two minutes I was unconscious. I don't get headaches, so I knew something was wrong," Mr Vander Kraats said.
"I was immediately rushed to hospital and taken into emergency surgery to seek treatment for stroke."
What followed was a long and gruelling road to recovery. Mr Vander Kraats spent the next six months in hospital and underwent four surgeries and intensive speech therapy. He now uses a wheelchair and continues to work at Next Generation Physio alongside another physiotherapist who acts as his 'hands.'
"I'm a physio, and doing my job is very difficult with decreased mobility. I could have just said to myself, it's too hard, I won't return, but I persisted. The experience made me not just more sympathetic, but also empathetic of others," he said.
"People like it, they are getting two physios for the price of one, and that's great value for money.
"As a physiotherapist, I recognise there is currently a gap in the care of stroke survivors in the community. It seems to me in the hospital setting survivors have ample support, however after discharge it's as if they fall off the conveyor belt."
His observation is exactly what Stroke Foundation hears from survivors of stroke, according to National Manager Stroke Treatment, Kelvin Hill.
"We know that 30 per cent of survivors leave hospital without a discharge plan. In a country which offers world-class clinical services, that's just not good enough. Our StrokeConnect Navigator Program will help change that - we need to plug that gap so that everyone leaving hospital is supported to access the services they need for their individual recovery."
The StrokeConnect Navigator Program would work with all hospitals across Australia to identify and support each survivor as they leave hospital. Stroke Foundation is seeking support from Federal and State Governments to invest in the service.
Mr Vander Kraats is sharing his stroke survival story as part of World Physio Day on Thursday, September 8.
An athlete in his spare time, he is also passionate about competing in endurance events including a half ironman. He is now preparing for his next event, the Long Run, which will see him tackle a gruelling 72 kilometres on a three-wheel recumbent bike.
"I completed several running events and triathlons prior to my stroke, and I said to myself what's changed? A decrease in mobility is not an excuse not to participate, so having a positive attitude drives me to compete in endurance events" Mr Vander Kraats said.
His message to other stroke survivors is to never give up and always think outside the box. Mr Vander Kraats is one of more than 44,000 stroke survivors living in West Australia. The message
from the Stroke Foundation is to act F.A.S.T and call triple zero (000) if you suspect a stroke.
