It’s the last thing you expect – having a stroke in the early hours of the morning.

By Mike’s own account he doesn’t remember much about the day of his stroke.

“My wife woke at 7am to find me beside her unresponsive,” he explains. “Apparently I was just ghostly white and covered in a sheen of sweat.”

Immediately his wife Jane knew something wasn’t right and called for an ambulance.

Thankfully, fast action from Jane, and a global breakthrough in stroke treatment saved Mike’s life.

He was sent by helicopter to the nearest major hospital where they performed his life-saving clot retrieval surgery.

Your support can help us find the next breakthrough in stroke treatment. With faster diagnosis and the best treatment, we can save lives and reduce disability. Donate now

Every minute counts in giving people the best chance of recovery.

Mike tells us, “It took approximately 6 hours from stroke to clot retrieval and I am so lucky and grateful to be alive.”

A year later, Mike is back at work despite battling fatigue. He says his short-term memory has been affected, and he struggles to find the right words.

Mike knows, as we do, that we still have a long way to go in the fight against stroke.

We’re facing a looming stroke crisis - particularly among young people and even children. More than ever, we need to understand why stroke strikes some people out of the blue and how we can protect lives with faster diagnosis and better treatment.

Thankfully, our amazing Australian researchers are continually unlocking the mysteries of the brain to prevent stroke, save lives and enhance recovery.

And we believe we’re on the brink of the next significant breakthrough in stroke treatment!

We can’t afford to delay - stroke kills 24 Australians every single day, and the numbers are growing.

Will you help fund vital research into stroke treatment, and give people like Mike the best chance of surviving stroke?