2011 Stroke Awards Winners

Ten stroke heroes including a baby boy aged 18 months were awarded for their bravery in fighting the country’s 3rd biggest killer at the Irish Heart Foundation’s Life After Stroke Awards supported by Boehringer Ingelheim in the Burlington Hotel in Dublin.

Joining the heroes on the day to present an award was living soap legend Jim Bartley who himself suffered a stroke earlier this year on 1st June (2011). The Fair City actor who plays Bela Doyle said: “I was reading scripts when the stroke happened. I started to get a strange feeling, it just came over me. My right arm started to go numb from my wrist to the bicep. And when I tried to read, the letters kept jumping on the page. I couldn’t read them properly.”

The 66-year-old called his GP and was immediately told to go to hospital. Once there, doctors told the well-loved face of Fair City that his carotid artery was 90 percent closed and that he would need an operation. Jim said: “It was a shock hearing that my artery was nearly fully blo

cked and I was worried about the operation. There are no guarantees with these things and I was afraid I might have a ma

jor stroke on the operating table. But it all went well. The doctors took out a lump of grizzle as long as a caterpillar and I haven’t looked back since.”

Jim presented an Adult Courage Award to Donegal’s Rose Gallagher who lives with the daily fear of choking after being left with no gag reflex after her stroke. As recently as 3 weeks ago, the retired nurse woke to find paramedics working on her after choking on a scone because her swallowing muscles are paralysed.

Ten awards were presented at the heart-warming event hosted by Marty Whelan including 18-month-old Leo Garry who suffered a stroke as a complication of chicken pox. The tiny tot was an inspiration to his parents during the ordeal. His mother Niamh McGarry said: “Leo is the most amazing child I’ve ever witnessed, he spent almost five weeks in Temple Street and his laughter, spirit and pure joy were an inspiration to us. He kept us going through the worst time in our lives. I hope Leo winning this award helps other parents to know that stroke can happen to young children too and to watch out for any signs.”

All Ireland champions Alan Brogan and Bryan Cullen were on hand to present awards to 21-year-old Laura McInerney from Limerick who suffered a brain haemorrhage during her first weeks of college and to 33-year-old Rachael Ahern who suffered a stroke at just 28 in Limerick which prompted a marriage proposal from her now husband, Aidan. But for 30-year-old Kevin Martin from Kildare, there were nearly no wedding bells when he had a stroke just days before his ‘big day’ but thanks to his own quick-thinking in recognising the F.A.S.T symptoms of stroke and urging his dad to call 999, the young groom made it up the aisle just four-days after being treated with the clot-busting drug thrombolysis.

25-year-old Jacqui Browne from Dublin had to battle more than teenage angst when she was struck down by stroke aged 14 after suffering flu-like symptoms which turned out to be an infection of the brain. In addition, Professor Desmond O’Neill, Consultant in geriatric and stroke medicine in Tallaght Hospital was honoured for his pioneering efforts in driving better stroke services in Ireland for two decades.

Colin Edwards, Head National Medicine/General Manager, Boehringer Ingelheim Ireland said: “Boehringer Ingelheim has a long history of working to develop innovative medicines to help prevent and manage conditions such as stroke and it is wonderful to see a pioneering doctor, like Professor Des O’Neill receive the Champion Award for his work in the area of stroke medicine. We are very pleased to be associated with today’s event honouring those of all ages who have fought hard to overcome the effects of a stroke and those who tirelessly care and campaign for those who may have suffered a stroke.”

Awards were also presented to the Hannan Family in Tipperary who received a family award for their united strength in coping when their father Pat suffered a stroke aged 35; Mai Browne from Tipperary received the Carer’s Award for her undying devotion in providing full-time care to her husband Dominick since his stroke eight years ago and Richard Napier who suffered a stroke aged 27 was honoured for his energy and drive in establishing the North Cork Stroke Support Group.

Michael O’Shea Chief Executive said: “There are nearly 50,000 stroke survivors in Ireland today and each and every one is a winner in our book. Our charity is proud to bring to light the daily miracles and heroic efforts happening around the country in overcoming stroke and our 10 award winners represent the strength of all stroke survivors nationwide. The reality is that stroke can happen to anyone and by telling these stories we aim to give hope to all that there can be positive outcomes. We also hope it will help to keep the need for better stroke services high up on the health agenda. Because there is life after stroke, and we have the heroes to prove it.”

According to the national charity fighting heart disease and stroke, about 10,000 people suffer a stroke in Ireland annually – that’s more than one stroke every hour - and up to one quarter will die from it. At any given time, an estimated 30,000 people are living with disability caused by stroke. In fact one in five people in Ireland will have a stroke in their lifetime.

To find out more about stroke problems see www.stroke.ie or talk to an Irish Heart Foundation nurse on the Heart & Stroke Helpline Locall 1890 432 787.

The Irish Heart Foundation Stroke Award winners:

Children's Courage Award           
18-month-old Leo Garry from Meath who suffered a stroke in June 2011 following a complication of the chicken pox virus.

Adult Courage Award
12 years ago on her 50th birthday Rose Gallagher from Donegal suffered a stroke.  For the first time in her life, nurse Rose went from being the carer to being the cared for. After the stroke, her speech, swallowing and limbs were badly affected but Rose never gave up and never complained.  Always practical, Rose has made sure all her family know how to do the Heimlich manoeuvre in case she chokes on her food. As far as the Gallaghers are concerned, Rose is still their “supermum”. So for her undeniable compassion and valour Rose Gallagher wins the first of our adult courage awards.  

2nd Adult Courage Award              
Dublin-based Rachael Ahern suffered a stroke at just 28 while visiting her now husband’s parents in Limerick in 2006.  Mary, Rachael’s mother-in-law, saw that she was dragging her left leg; Rachael also had blurred vision and buzzing in her ears.   Originally from Australia, Rachael’s spirits were lifted when Aidan – her then boyfriend - proposed to her while she was still in the hospital.  Rachael had a long road of rehabilitation ahead of her, she had to learn to walk again, but she pushed herself to the limit through rehab, swimming, walking, and acupuncture.  Her work paid off and this year Rachael ran the Women’s mini-marathon in Dublin.  For her strength and determination Rachael Ahern wins the second of our Adult Courage Awards.                             

Act F.A.S.T. Award
30-year-old groom to be Kevin Martin from Kildare suffered a stroke just four days before getting married in August 2011. But thanks to his own recognition of the FAST symptoms he told his dad to call 999 because he was having a stroke which resulted in him receiving timely clot-busting treatment. Fortunately he made a full recovery in time for his wedding day on 20th August.

Carer's Award
Tipperary native Mai Browne has been caring for her husband Dominick full time following a severe stroke in 2003.  She’s up at 5.30am and doesn’t stop until it’s time for Dominick to go to bed around 8 o’ clock.  Mai only gets one hour of help everyday to get Dominick out of bed in the morning, which means she has to put him to bed on her own every night.  For her selfless devotion and her love for her husband, Mai wins the Carer’s Award.  

Young Person's Courage Award
21-year-old Laura McInerney from Limerick suffered a brain haemorrhage in her first weeks of college but she has always stayed motivated, positive and driven about her rehabilitation.

2nd Young Person's Courage Award
25-year-old Jacqui Browne originally from Finglas, now living in Limerick, suffered a stroke at just 14 years. What started off as flu and a bad headache, turned out to be a virus causing inflammation of the brain which resulted in a stroke. After 8 months of rehabilitation, Jacqui was lucky enough to go back to school and she has never looked back since.

Family Award
The Hannan family from Limerick became united as a team to encourage their father Pat back to health after he suffered a stroke at just 35 years old. Together they rallied around, providing encouragement and positivity every step of the way to help with his recovery.

Stroke Support Group Award
At the age of 27, Richard Napier from Mallow in Cork suffered a stroke but from that moment on he became determined to dedicate his spare time to helping other people get through the ordeal of this illness by setting up the North Cork Stroke Support Group.

Boehringer Ingelheim Stroke Champion Award
Professor Des O’Neill has been a pioneer in promoting better services for people with stroke in Ireland for two decades.  After initial work in scoping out the needs of those with stroke in the early 1990s, Professor O’Neill set up the first acute stroke service in Ireland in Tallaght Hospital.  This service has gone from strength to strength and has led the way in stroke service development in Ireland. In 2008, Professor O’Neill was the principal investigator for Irish Heart Foundation’s National Stroke Audit – which revealed the appalling lack of services for stroke patients in Ireland.  Professor O’Neill regularly contributes to academic publications on all aspects of stroke care and is a strong advocate for care of the elderly in Ireland.  For his continuous devotion and unsurpassed contribution to the cause of stroke patients, Professor Des O’Neill wins the Boehringer Ingelheim Stroke Champion Award.

For more information on stroke see www.stroke.ie

ENDS

Media queries to Caroline Cullen, Communications Manager, Irish Heart Foundation
Direct line: 01-6346908 Mobile: 086-6049282


When a stroke strikes, act F.A.S.T

F – Face – Has their face fallen on one side? Can they smile?
A – Arms – Can they raise both arms and keep them there?
S – Speech – Is their speech slurred?
T – Time to call 999 – if you see any single one of these signs

Risk factors for stroke that you can change

High blood pressure
High blood pressure is the leading cause of stroke; it causes your blood vessels to lose their elasticity and encourages the build-up of fatty deposits inside your blood vessels.

Smoking
Smoking doubles your risk of stroke; it causes your blood vessels to narrow and makes your blood more likely to clot. Passive smoking also increases your risk of stroke.

High cholesterol
Having a high cholesterol level leads to a build-up of fatty deposits in your blood vessels causing them to narrow and harden.

Poor diet
Eating foods high in saturated fats (butter, hard margarine, lard, cream, fatty meat, cakes, biscuits and chocolates) can raise your cholesterol levels. A diet high is salt can increase your risk of developing high blood pressure.  Too many extra calories in your diet can lead to overweight, obesity and high blood pressure.  

Alcohol
Drinking too much alcohol raises your blood pressure and causes damage to your liver and heart.

Physical inactivity
Not being active on a regular basis at a moderate intensity increases your risk of stroke by 50%. Moderate intensity causes an increase in your breathing and heart rate, similar to a brisk walk.