Brenton's story

I am 63 years old and had, what I considered, a relatively small stroke a couple of years ago. I had a good job, was active and had recently moved to a small property in the Wairarapa. I spent my time away from work hunting, fishing, target shooting and learning to use my chainsaw properly. I also had high blood pressure, which I believed was under control. It turned out that I was wrong.

After spending a day splitting and stacking firewood, I was watching TV and drifted off to sleep on the sofa. I woke up a couple of hours later and went to the bathroom. On the way there, I walked into the wall. Thinking I had slept in a poor position, I laughed it off and went to bed. I didn’t recognise the signs as a stroke. I was just a bit wobbly on the left-hand side and had some issues raising my left arm properly. Walking was unsteady, but again, I wasn't worried as I had had some weaknesses previously from a poor sleeping position on the sofa.

The next day, I rang the doctor and got an appointment. I still wasn't concerned, but the left-side weakness hadn't gone away. I had no facial issues at all and honestly didn't recognise it as a stoke. The doctor spent about 5 minutes with me and had me transported and admitted to Wairarapa hospital, where I spent the next fortnight being assessed and cared for. I completely lost my left-side functionality as time progressed.

A few months later, I also had to leave my job as a consultant business analyst. Since the stroke, I have travelled around France and the United Kingdom, both by train, and mainly leaning on my wife and hiring wheelchairs to visit galleries and exhibitions. Today, I am still working to recover full functionality and to put lingering hemiplegia permanently behind me. Despite a couple of short-term contracts, I’m still trying to return to work as a full-time IT and Process Business Analyst. I can legally and safely drive a car, and while not competitive yet, I can safely shoot a gun. I do self-directed aquarobics weekly and ride my exercise bike regularly. I can walk reasonably well with a cane and limp around some distance without one. I also perform with an improvised theatre semi-regularly.