A call that saved a life

Hear about Kelly’s stroke from three angles – Kelly, her husband Bruce and the emergency call taker Sean, on the latest I am 000 podcast. 

Kelly, a mother of two young children, had a stroke one week after her 40th birthday. 

Luckily, Kelly’s husband happened to be running late for work that day and was still at home when it occurred. 

She was in the bathroom (on the toilet) when suddenly she couldn’t lift her arm. She knew instantly that something was wrong and that she had to get help.  

Her husband Bruce heard her making strange noises as she tried to lift her arm and it came down with a thud on the vanity. Bruce came to her aid immediately, then disappeared. Kelly remembers thinking – what are you doing? I need your help! 

Little did she know Bruce had already called triple zero and an ambulance was nearly at the house. By this stage, Kelly was showing all the F.A.S.T. signs of stroke. Kelly says her mouth was about on her shoulder, it had drooped so much. 

Both a regular ambulance and the Melbourne Stroke Ambulance were dispatched for Kelly. And by the time Kelly got out of her bathroom, both had arrived. 

Kelly was treated in the Stroke Ambulance in front of her house. She was given a brain scan, and thrombolysis was administered. By the time the ambulance left her home she could move her arm again and her speech was coming back. 

She was the first patient to be transported in the Stroke Ambulance to the Monash Medical Centre. She recalls the staff being quite intrigued to see it arrive. 

Kelly believes she is alive today because of the Stroke Ambulance’s crew. She was told she had a very large blood clot which had come from a hole in her heart.

Kelly’s biggest issue post-stroke is fatigue, and she still has some minor issues with balance - but she knows the outcome could have been far worse.