Jamie's story

Jamie Summers was just 39 years old when he experienced a haemorrhagic stroke on December 14th, 2019.

"I always thought a stroke was something that happened to people a lot older than me."

Jamie's wife, Sarah, noticed something was wrong when his face began to droop, and she quickly called an ambulance. Jamie credits Sarah with saving his life.

Jamie spent ten intensive days in hospital, and he was determined to be discharged by Christmas. While he achieved this goal, recovery wasn't easy. Jamie had to learn how to walk again and was plagued by fatigue, making it difficult to keep up with his two young sons.

Six months after his stroke, Jamie was able to return to full-time work in the construction industry. And now, armed with his firsthand experience, he is on a mission to prevent others in his industry from having a stroke.

Health15 is a joint initiative between the Stroke Foundation and The Building Intelligence Group, where Jamie works as a Project Director. Health15 provides free health checks on-site, so busy construction workers don't need to take time off work to look after their health.

“As a stroke survivor with over 25-years’ experience in construction, I know the risks that come with carrying out physically demanding work in a high stress environment, and how important it is to look after your health and wellbeing. We have a chance to save lives by reaching out to workers who wouldn’t usually have time to access this vital health screening."

Jamie calls himself “one of the lucky ones” but even three years after his stroke, he still experiences fatigue and emotional trauma. Health15 works to prevent people like Jamie from going through this experience.

“A stroke will change your life forever. Get your blood pressure checked; it could save your life.”