Susan's story

In 2018, Susan Jones'* father, Robert Jones*, passed away after experiencing a major stroke at age 75.

"I'd heard of it, but you never think it's going to happen to you. But obviously, having been through it with Dad..."

Susan's mum and dad were in Nelson, visiting Susan's uncle. After Robert got up in the night to use the bathroom, Susan's mum noticed something wasn't right.

"Mum said his speech got slurred. He had all those stroke signs."

You can remember the signs of stroke with the acronym F.A.S.T.: Face drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulties, and Take action - call 111.

Recognising the signs of stroke, an ambulance was called immediately. Susan's uncle's house was around 40 minutes from the hospital, and Robert experienced several more strokes while in the ambulance.

"Mum phoned me the next morning from the hospital and I couldn't believe what she said."

She immediately booked a flight to Nelson, as did her Auckland-based brother. When they arrived at the airport, they drove straight to the hospital to see their dad. While Robert had survived the night, he had completely lost his ability to speak and swallow, and he could not move the entire right side of his body.

Susan's brother who lived in Australia arrived the next day.

Eventually, Robert was stable enough to be flown back to Wellington, where he went straight to Wellington Hospital. There, he had many visitors, including family, friends, and all of his "golf buddies". While it was great having so much support, Susan could tell that her dad was struggling with the frustration of not being able to communicate or move one side of his body.

As Robert's condition began deteriorating, Susan's family were faced with an overwhelming decision about continuing Robert's care. She reflects on this time by saying,

"When we had to make a decision, we did it as a family."

"Dad was very active and independent, and if he survived, he would have needed 24/7 care, and he wouldn't have liked that. We had to do what was right for him."

10 days after his initial stroke, Robert passed away, surrounded by his wife and children.

Susan now knows that her dad's stroke was likely the result of his arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat. Atrial fibrillation is a common type of arrhythmia and is a major risk factor for stroke.

While it was a challenging time, Susan feels she and her family were incredibly well supported.

"We got really good support through the hospital and the doctors were great. They went through everything, every step of the way."

Susan hopes that sharing her experience will highlight the importance of stroke and help show other people in a similar situation that they aren't alone.

"My advice would be to ask questions if you don't know what's going on."

"If you don't know what's going to happen, make sure you ask the questions, and if you don't get the answer you [need], find somebody else."