As a 26-year-old personal trainer who went to great lengths to keep herself in top shape, Gisborne’s Chloe Farrugia didn’t seem like the kind of person at risk of having a stroke.
Yet Ms Farrugia had two strokes within two months last year, putting her in a wheelchair and leading to extensive rehabilitation.
‘‘I was about to get in the shower and I had tingles in my left arm,’’ the mother of two says of the first stroke.
‘‘I lost feeling in that arm and I couldn’t walk. My husband put me to bed. He noticed my face had drooped and I was dribbling and couldn’t talk, so he called an ambulance.’’
Mr Farrugia’s quick thinking likely saved his wife’s life.
Doctors treating Ms Farrugia after her second stroke found a problem with her heart, which meant surgery.
‘‘I’m living on a high dosage of medication, but other than that I’m doing OK,’’ Ms Farrugia says. ‘‘There’s been a lot of rehab … I’ve been to three different rehab centres, but now I just want to help save other people’s lives.’’
Next month, the Farrugias plan to run 50 kilometres through bushland to raise money and awareness for the Stroke Foundation.
Ms Farrugia says stroke is far more common than many people realise, and is one of Australia’s biggest killers and a leading cause of disability.
‘‘People don’t think it can happen to fit and healthy people, but it does,’’ she says.
Ms Farrugia says people should learn the ‘FAST’ method so they know the signs of stroke – a drooping Face, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, Time to call triple-0.
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