Brisbane mum Paige Oclery says she had a cliché perfect pregnancy and a dream 90-minute birth. It wasn't until hours after that doctors realised her newborn baby had experienced a stroke.
It was every parent's worst nightmare when baby Ollie had to undergo a spinal tap and MRI after having unexplained seizures.
"When Ollie came out, he swallowed a lot of fluid and was struggling to breathe, so he was sedated until doctors could work out what was wrong," Paige said.
"Watching your newborn baby go through all of that is awful. He stayed in hospital for four weeks in an incubator and was slowly weaned off oxygen as his condition improved.
"The doctors can't pinpoint exactly when he had the stroke, during birth or in the womb, but they say he's very lucky."
Now 14 months on, little Ollie is thriving.
"He has regular scans to check for any secondary strokes but so far so good. We won't know until he gets older if there are any lasting impacts of the stroke," she said.
"We consider ourselves to be blessed. Ollie is such a happy little boy, he's always smiling and is an easy baby."
This month, Paige, with her family and friends, are participating in Stroke Foundation's month-long fundraiser, Stride4Stroke in an effort to educate more Queenslanders about stroke, particularly in babies and children.
Stroke Foundation Chief Executive Officer Dr Lisa Murphy commended Paige for her efforts and urged all Aussies to get moving this September.
"Stride4Stroke gives Australians a simple and inclusive way to get moving, raise awareness and help create a future with fewer strokes," Dr Murphy said.
"You can stride anywhere, anytime, and in any way that gets you moving, and every dollar raised goes towards vital stroke prevention, research, recovery programs and advocacy.
"Fundraising is vital to ensure childhood stroke receives the research and attention it deserves, helping improve outcomes for the nearly two Australian children who experience a stroke every day.
