A Hamilton local will this weekend part ways with his much-loved hairdo, braving the shaver for a good cause.
Jesse Turnbull has been growing a mullet for 18 months after being inspired by one of his favourite NRL footballers.
"I thought I'd try something different and decided to grow a mullet like Ryan Papenhuyzen and now it's sort of a part of me. I'll be sad when it's gone."
On Saturday, Jesse will say goodbye to his long locks. He is shaving his mullet and moustache to raise money for the Stroke Foundation and awareness of stroke - a cause close to his heart.
In December last year, Jesse's father and best friend, Daryll, had a stroke in their Hamilton home. It was his second stroke that year. The first struck at the dinner table. Daryll was slurring his speech and couldn't pick up his knife. The second stroke happened while the pair was on the phone. Again, Daryl's speech was impaired.
"It was scary. On both occasions I just knew something wasn't right and that I had to act quickly because this was an emergency."
Daryll is in rehabilitation, learning how to walk and talk again while Jesse has taken on the role as his carer, balancing work, life and looking after his dad. He says his charity shave is a way of supporting his Dad.
"Me and Dad are best mates and I wanted to repay the favour for all the things he did for me growing up. I want to be there for him."
Daryll is one of approximately 87,000 stroke survivors living in the community in Queensland and around 5,300 first time strokes will be experienced by residents in Queensland by the end of this year.
Stroke Foundation Interim Chief Executive Officer, Dr Lisa Murphy, says acting quickly when a stroke strikes is crucial.
"When a stroke strikes it attacks up to 1.9 million brain cells per minute but treatment can stop this damage. Time saved in accessing stroke treatment equals brain saved."
Dr Murphy is encouraging all Australians to know the signs of stroke by learning the F.A.S.T. acronym.
"The F.A.S.T. acronym is life saving and is a great way to remember the common signs of stroke. F is for face- Check their face, has their mouth drooped? A is for arms- can they lift both arms? S is for speech- is their speech slurred? Do they understand you? And T is for time- time is critical, if you see any of these signs call triple zero (000) straight away."
