Recognising the signs saved Spencer’s life

By Deb

I’ll never forget the moment our lives changed. Spencer was just days away from his second birthday, playing happily with a new toy truck in our backyard. Nothing seemed unusual - until he tried to stand up and couldn’t.

At first, my wife Hayley and I thought he might have hurt his leg. We checked for pain, but he didn’t react. Then I noticed his whole body leaning to one side. Something felt very wrong.

We rushed him to our GP, who told us to take him to the Queensland Children’s Hospital immediately. In the car, I watched him start to favour one arm. When we arrived, I stepped out briefly to move the car, and when I came back his face had dropped on one side. His little voice was slurred.

That was the moment the word stroke entered my mind - a word I had never imagined applying to a toddler. I didn’t know children could even have strokes.

The doctors acted straight away, initiating the Code Stroke protocol. An MRI revealed a blood clot in a dangerous spot in Spencer’s brain. Surgery was too risky. Doctors made the decision to give him clot-busting medication - something very few children in Australia had ever received at the time.

Those quick actions saved Spencer’s life.

The first 24 hours were the longest of our lives. We didn’t know what the outcome would be or what long-term effects he might face. But when he woke up, we could see a positive response to the medication. It was the greatest relief I’ve ever felt. His right side was still weak, and it took him a couple of days to try to stand, but he made steady progress.

Spencer spent twelve nights in hospital and began intensive rehab. When we finally brought him home, we wrapped him in cotton wool, terrified something might happen again. Over time we learned to take each day as it came.

He still has some weakness on his right side, gets fatigued easily and has a few behavioural challenges, but he has made incredible progress. Today, at eight years old, Spencer is thriving. He loves swimming, soccer, zombie tag, rubix cubes, playing outside and much to our delight -maths. He approaches everything with determination and joy.

We later learned that his stroke was likely linked to a small head knock weeks earlier. We took him to hospital at the time, but doctors saw nothing concerning. There were no signs anything was wrong at the time or in the weeks following - another reminder that stroke in children can be sudden and completely unexpected.

Since Spencer’s stroke, our family has worked closely with the Stroke Foundation and Queensland Children’s Hospital to raise awareness of childhood stroke. We helped develop brochures and posters now being shared across schools and childcare centres to help parents and teachers recognise the signs. Last year, Spencer received a Warrior Award at the National Stroke Awards for his bravery and for helping spread the word.

We still meet people every week who don’t know children can have strokes. I didn’t know either - until it happened to my son. That’s why awareness is so important.

We will never forget the fear of that night, but we are grateful every single day that Spencer is here with us, living his life to the fullest.

He is our miracle boy.