Jasmine’s stroke recovery was worth the wait

O’Halloran Hill survivor of stroke Jasmine Cowen calls herself one of the lucky ones. She was at work when she had a life-changing stroke. 

“My left arm went dead and then my leg, automatically I thought I’m not going to have any balance, so I went to take three steps and realised I couldn’t. An ambulance was called, and I was triaged but because I was young, they didn’t treat it as a stoke at first,” Jasmine said.  

“I had to advocate for myself and even started doing my own rehab. I was pushing a water bottle back and forth to try and regain movement in my left arm.”  

Jasmine had an MRI which confirmed she’d had a stroke. She is among the 35,000 survivors of stroke survivors living across South Australia.   

“I call myself one of the lucky ones because my stroke was relatively straightforward and I knew the F.A.S.T. signs of stroke because unfortunately I know how common stroke can be,” Jasmine said.   

“The thing I struggle with the most now is the fatigue, I’ve got all of the functions back in my left arm, but it gets a lot more fatigued than my right. 

“I would say I have recovered but I still notice the impacts of my stroke five years on, although it feels good to be back at the gym doing personal training and bootcamp.” 

As part of National Stroke Week (August 7-13), Stroke Foundation is encouraging the community to fight stroke together by bringing people together to share knowledge, support and resources to help prevent strokes from occurring and to aid in the recovery process for those who have experienced a stroke. 

You can help others by learning and sharing the F.A.S.T. (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) signs of stroke with your family and friends. If you or someone you know experiences the signs of stroke, no matter how long they last, call triple zero (000) immediately. 

Jasmine said the highlight of her recovery was being able to hold daughters’ hand again, after not being able to do it for eight months.   

 “Not being able to do that was hard, she didn’t understand why I couldn’t use my left hand. I couldn’t clap or give thumbs up either. My message to other survivors of stroke is to keep going, don’t give up and listen to your body,” she said.   

Stroke Foundation Chief Executive Officer Dr Lisa Murphy thanked Jasmine for spreading the F.A.S.T. message.  

“Stroke is always a medical emergency. Time saved equals brain saved. I’m thrilled to hear Jasmine is able to hold her daughter’s hand again and can make many more memories with her young family.”  

If you suspect a stroke, think F.A.S.T. and ask these questions:   

Face – Check their face. Has their mouth drooped?   

Arms – Can they lift both arms?   

Speech – Is their speech slurred? Do they understand you?   

Time – Time is critical. If you see any of these signs, call 000 straight away  

National Stroke Week is proudly supported by Major Sponsors: EMVision, AbbVie, and AstraZeneca, and Supporting Sponsors: Precision Group and Rossmax Australia.