A woman who survived a stroke on Christmas Day eight years ago is urging other South Australians to learn the signs and save someone else's life.
Tania Shirgwin was just 47 when her life changed in an instant. She lives alone and the stroke struck while she was sleeping.
"I woke up Christmas morning and couldn't move one side of my body. At first, I thought I must have just slept poorly, but when the feeling didn't return, I knew something was very wrong," Tania said.
"Fortunately, I recognised the F.A.S.T signs of stroke, I called an ambulance and got the help I needed."
Tania received treatment to dissolve blood clots called thrombolysis. She spent two weeks in hospital and two weeks in rehab.
"I'm still dealing with the side effects eight years later. I have partial blindness and movement issues," she said.
"Recovery is a strange word, because I haven't recovered. I see improvements but I don't think of it as recovery anymore, you just learn to live with it.
