We’re marking World Stroke Day (Monday 20 October) by taking a look back at some of our most memorable stroke patients:

Beatrice Way

Beatrice was just 36 when she had a stroke and was saved when our surgeon Ian Low performed a hemicraniectomy, removing 40 per cent of her skull to relieve pressure on her brain.

Amazingly, the piece of bone was kept alive by being sewn into a skin pocket of Beatrice’s abdomen and her skull was put back together in a further operation weeks later.

Her determination to recover amazed her family and even saw Beatrice completing a Cancer Research Race for Life event in 2013 wearing an electric leg brace.

But most importantly for Beatrice and her husband Alexander, her stroke didn’t stop them from realising their dream to have a family – they welcomed baby Rosemary in June 2016.

Joseph Wennell

Again proving that strokes do not only affect the elderly, Joseph was even younger than Beatrice – just 22 when he collapsed while getting ready for work one morning.

He was rushed straight into surgery at our Hyper Acute Stroke Unit where he had a keyhole procedure -  with our surgeons going in through his groin to remove the blood clot from his brain.

He left our hospital just two days after his operation and his continued rehabilitation saw him make an amazing recovery. He’s even continued to support our Stroke team by sharing his experience at meetings and events.

Key to his recovery was getting to surgery as quickly as possible.

If you think someone is having a stroke, remember to Act FAST:

• Face – has it fallen on one side?
• Arms – can they raise them?
• Speech – is it slurred?
• Time – if you notice any of these signs, it’s time to call 999.

Knowing the signs of stroke and getting treatment quickly saves lives and improves their recovery.

Devesh Sinha (below, right), our clinical lead for stroke, said: “Stroke is still the number one cause of disability in the world.

“We’ve done a lot of work to improve the care we provide to our stroke patients and we’re working hard to make mechanical thrombectomy possible for every eligible patient.

“We’re also working closely with our local partners on stroke prevention, and providing the best possible treatment and ongoing aftercare as our patients continue their recovery outside our hospitals.”

You can read more about how Devesh and his team transformed our Stroke service in just six months in his In Conversation With interview.