The father from Preston, Lancashire, says he was healthy and well before the brain attack. His life, that of his wife, Kate, and their then two-year-old daughter was about to change in 2017. Immediately after the ischaemic stroke, David “spent the following 24 hours in ICU [intensive care unit] on morphine undergoing tests”.
David said: “Unfortunately, even though my 999 call was for a suspected stroke, the hospital failed to test for a stroke until after being in their care for 48 hours.”
When he was sent for an MRI scan, the results confirmed that David did, indeed, have a stroke.
Initially, David lost the ability to use the left side of his body, his speech was impacted, and he experienced severe double vision.
The reality of the situation soon set in for the family as David was unable to work for three months.
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At the time, David’s future seemed “unknown”, but it most definitely was not where he saw his life “ending up at 41 years old”.
David shared that even when he did return to work, he “still couldn’t see properly”.
“My balance was still very bad and I couldn’t drive for six months,” David told Lancashire Live.
“Most of my symptoms were short-lived, fortunately, but I underwent a lot of physio,” he added.
“I found walking into work, if I stopped at a junction and looked left and right, by the time I looked ahead, I was too dizzy to cross the road.
“It left me with a bit of anxiety about all that but you soon learn to live with it.”
David appreciates the support of his wife, Kate, who also had their daughter, Isla, to look after.
“There was a lot on that side that I couldn’t help with, I couldn’t really do anything around the house,” he explained.
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“I am lucky, and without the support of my wife Kate, my family, great friends and a fantastic employer I would have been in a far worse place,” David added.
Now, six years on from the stroke, David (now 47) still suffers from the aftereffects of the stroke.
David has bouts of vertigo and his skin is extremely sensitive to the weather.
“The vertigo has been the hardest issue to work with,” David admitted.
