A young Canberran stroke survivor who spent 33 days trekking almost 800 kilometres through Spain with her sisters is hoping her journey inspires other survivors to achieve their goals.
In 2019 Claire had a stroke at the age of 26. She was getting ready to go to the gym when she felt unsteady on her feet and had a migraine. She went to work the next day and was unable to communicate.
She was taken to hospital where she was misdiagnosed with a brain tumour and after a week it was found Claire had a hole in her heart the size of a 20-cent coin which led to the stroke.
"At the time I didn't know what a stroke was, and I didn't think strokes could happen to young people." Claire said.
The misconception that strokes only affect older people is one Claire is shedding a light on and she took on a mammoth challenge to do it.
The now-30-year-old and her two sisters, Grace and Elizabeth, recently trekked the renowned Camino de Santiago track, walking up to 38 kilometres a day to raise awareness of young stroke. Claire admits the pilgrimage was challenging. She had nerve pain and had to deeply concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other but says it was worth it.
"The community, as a whole, thinks young people don't have strokes and that's a big barrier of timely treatment. I want people to know that stroke can happen to anyone at any age- it doesn't discriminate."
" I want to show people who have survived a stroke that we can do hard things. Surviving a stroke is the hardest thing and they can get through it and overcome whatever challenges come their way."
Australian evidence shows that while the overall incidence of stroke has been declining, stroke incidence rates in young people of working age have been increasing over time.
It is estimated 10,670 first-ever strokes, approximately 29 strokes a day, are experienced by Australians of working age (aged 18-64) every year.
Stroke Foundation, National Manager and Young Stroke Project leader, Ms Jude Czerenkowski commends Claire's efforts.
" Claire is doing an amazing job at shining a light on young stroke and working age stroke. It is important for people to know that stroke can strike at any age and at any time, so they don't ignore the signs when it's happening to a young person simply because they're young."
" No matter your age ,I encourage everyone to know the F.A.S.T acronym in case you or someone you know is having a stroke. While not all strokes show the common signs, most do.
F is for face- has their face 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 immediately." Ms Czerenkowski said.
