Tania's close call on Christmas Day

A woman who survived a stroke on Christmas Day eight years ago is urging other South Australians to learn the signs and save someone else’s life.

Tania Shirgwin was just 47 when her life changed in an instant. She lives alone and the stroke struck while she was sleeping.

“I woke up Christmas morning and couldn’t move one side of my body. At first, I thought I must have just slept poorly, but when the feeling didn’t return, I knew something was very wrong,” Tania said.

“Fortunately, I recognised the F.A.S.T signs of stroke, I called an ambulance and got the help I needed.”

Tania received treatment to dissolve blood clots called thrombolysis. She spent two weeks in hospital and two weeks in rehab.

“I’m still dealing with the side effects eight years later. I have partial blindness and movement issues,” she said.

“Recovery is a strange word, because I haven’t recovered. I see improvements but I don’t think of it as recovery anymore, you just learn to live with it.

“My advice to someone who may have just had a stroke is to get in touch with the Stroke Foundation as soon as possible. They have plenty of resources to help,” she said.

Tania is among the 35,000 stoke survivors living in South Australia. She believes knowing the F.A.S.T acronym saved her life.

o FACE – has their mouth drooped?

o ARMS – Can they lift both arms?

o SPEECH – Is their speech slurred?

o TIME is critical. If any of these signs appears, call 000 immediately.

Tania now runs her own business and is incredibly independent. Initially she was told she would never drive again, but she proved doctors wrong and got her licence back. She says she appreciates the silly season more than she used to.

“For me Christmas is all about spending time with the ones you love, family is what it’s all about,” she said.

“It doesn’t matter if it is Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, a wedding or any other special occasion, don’t put off calling an ambulance because you’re worried about upsetting family celebrations.”

To find out more about Stroke Foundation, visit the website.