RICKY URGES PEOPLE TO GET BLOOD
PRESSURE CHECKED
Ricky Te Whare says going to the doctor because he felt ‘something wasn’t quite right’ saved his life. Ricky’s doctor found his blood pressure was sky high and sent him straight to hospital. When Ricky got to hospital, he had a stroke.
“If you’re going to have a stroke, hospital’s the right place to have it,” says Ricky. “If I’d ignored my intuition, and gone to bed instead of to the afterhours doctors, I would never have woken up. Because I was in hospital, they could start to treat me straight away.”
Ricky told his story at the launch of the Stroke Awareness Week Down with Blood Pressure campaign at Parliament this evening. He was 41 when he had his stroke, in 2003.
About 8000 strokes occur in New Zealand each year, and stroke is our leading cause of disability. One third of strokes are attributable to high blood pressure – as Ricky’s was. He urges people to get their blood pressure checked.
“The only way to know if your blood pressure is high is to have it checked. It’s a quick and simple test that could save your life. If you haven’t had your blood pressure checked for a while, what are you waiting for?”
Following his stroke, Ricky was completely paralysed in his left leg and left arm, and couldn’t speak.
He says he owes his recovery so far to his ‘awesome’ family, the support provided by organisations like the Stroke Foundation, and staff at the ISIS Physical Rehabilitation Service at Dunedin’s Wakari Hospital.
“The ISIS staff were marvellous, but I didn’t think so at the time – they could be mean!”
Ricky still walks with a limp, and has difficulty using his left arm. “My aim is to get back to 90 percent of the way I was.”
He says every day is a blessing.
“You don’t know how short life is until you go through something like this.
“I get to spend time with my family, including my one-year old mokopuna. My family are incredibly supportive and my wife – she’s a strong woman. You can either sink or swim when something like this happens, and she’s a swimmer!”
To mark Stroke Awareness Week, the Stroke Foundation, St John and Lions are offering free blood pressure checks at a number of supermarkets around New Zealand (see Free blood pressure checks for list of sites).
For further information
Liz Price, 04 527 3290, 0276 957 744
BACKGROUND
Stroke and blood pressure: Key facts and figures
- Stroke is the third largest killer in New Zealand (more than 2000 people die from a stroke every year) and the major cause of adult disability in New Zealand.
- Every day, 21 New Zealanders have a stroke – that’s nearly 8000 people each year.
- There are 56,000 stroke survivors in New Zealand, many of whom have disability and need significant daily support.
- A stroke is a sudden interruption of blood flow to the brain, causing brain cell damage. Basically, it is a brain attack.
- At least one in three New Zealanders can’t recognise the signs of a stroke. Delayed recognition means delayed medical intervention –which can have tragic consequences.
- It is vital that everyone has their blood pressure levels tested regularly, as a healthy blood pressure level is important in maintaining a healthy cardiovascular system.
- Blood pressure is a measure of the force blood exerts on the arteries as it is pumped around the body. Blood pressure is measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg). There are two measures of blood pressure and the optimal level is below 120/80 mmHg:
- Systolic blood pressure – this is the pressure the blood exerts on the arteries when the heart beats
- Diastolic blood pressure –- this is the pressure the blood exerts on the arteries when the heart relaxes between beats
- High blood pressure is a major cause of strokes. One in five New Zealanders has high blood pressure, and a third of these don’t know it. Reducing your blood pressure can greatly reduce stroke risk.
- High blood pressure is often caused by lifestyle and diet factors including smoking, stress, lack of exercise and poor diet. The risk of high blood pressure increases as you get older and is also above average in minority ethnic groups.
- Most people can lower their blood pressure by a combination of good diet, exercise and, if necessary, medication.
- Keys ways to lower blood pressure through diet are:
- reduce your salt intake (salt increases blood pressure)
- eat a diet that is low in saturated fat and high in fruit, vegetables, cereals and wholemeal bread
- drink alcohol in moderation: 1 glass per day for women and 2 glasses per day for men.
- Physical activity helps to keep blood pressure low – aim for 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week.
- Smoking increases the risk of high blood pressure.
- Blood pressure should be checked regularly even if you feel well.
Stroke Foundation: “Reducing risk – improving outcomes”. www.stroke.org.nz
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