Megan's story

Megan Connolly was on top of the world. The 39-year-old was balancing being a mum of two young girls with her busy schedule as a personal trainer and weight-loss coach. She had recently run the Auckland Marathon and was looking forward to a well-deserved holiday with her family.

But out of nowhere, in November 2023, Megan experienced a stroke.

Megan was at the gym and had just finished warming up, when she started feeling dizzy.

"Then it felt like my head was going to explode. I crawled over to the mats and curled into a ball. I was trying to signal to someone to help me, but I couldn't talk because the pain was so much."

Eventually, someone noticed Megan in distress and called an ambulance. While no one knew Megan was having a stroke, it was clear that she was in immense pain and needed urgent medical attention.

"I was really scared. I didn't know what was happening. I'd never experienced anything like that before."

An ambulance took Megan to the hospital where doctors performed a CT scan. The scan revealed that she had experienced a subarachnoid haemorrhage, which caused a haemorrhagic stroke. This kind of stroke occurs when an artery in the brain ruptures and leaks blood onto the surface of the brain. As well as interrupting oxygen flow to the brain, this also causes swelling and damage to brain tissue. Left untreated, a subarachnoid haemorrhage can cause permanent brain damage or death. It is critical to get medical treatment as soon as possible.

After Megan’s bleeding was treated and she regained consciousness, doctors explained to Megan that she had experienced a stroke.

"I argued with them! I said, 'No I haven't! I've had a little brain bleed'. Then they said, 'Yes, that's a stroke'."

Megan was able to leave the hospital after 10 days, but that was just the start of her recovery journey. After being discharged, she realised just how unfair things are for stroke survivors.

"I do feel like the system completely let me down."

"I was discharged and there wasn't a follow up or anything. I was left to my own devices."

Megan had to take recovery into her own hands. But getting back to normal wasn’t easy. After her stroke, she had a persistent pain in her leg. That pain, combined with ongoing dizziness and headaches, made it tough for Megan to walk – which meant that she couldn't easily return to working as a personal trainer. And not working meant that money became tight.

For people who have a brain injury as the result of an accident, they can access ACC support, which can help in situations where they need time to recover before going back to work. But most strokes are not covered by ACC, leaving survivors to struggle financially after their stroke. For Megan, it forced her back to work before she was truly ready.

"I rushed back to work sooner than I should have because of financial pressure. We have two young kids. My husband couldn't take too much time off to care for me. We were struggling."

To get back to her life, Megan personally funded rehabilitation sessions to address her leg pain and headaches, began offering her personal training services online, and got back to working on her own fitness.

Now, a year on since her stroke, Megan considers herself 90% recovered.

"I feel pretty good most days. I'm training again, I'm working out probably four or five times a week. My strength is back to where it was, pre-stroke, but my fitness is not. But give me another six months or so, and it probably will be."

Megan hopes that sharing her story will inspire other stroke survivors to stay strong.

"Don't give up on yourself and your recovery."

"Take action for your own recovery. No one else can do it but you."