King's Lynn stroke survivor aged 27 makes NHS treatment call

James Mattless, now 31, said a thrombectomy helped save his life

A man who had a life-saving operation after a stroke at the age of 27 has called for the procedure to be available at all hospitals.

James Mattless underwent a thrombectomy to remove a brain clot at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge in 2019.

Mr Mattless, 31, was initially taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, Norfolk and was then transferred.

The Stroke Association (SA) said the "miracle treatment" cuts the risk of death or serious disability.

It involves having a clot "physically plucked out" rather than using drugs to dissolve them and is most effective when carried out within the first six hours of a stroke being diagnosed, the charity said.

Kathy Blythe, associate director of the charity, said: "Thrombectomy is a miracle treatment that pulls patients back from near-death and alleviates the worst effects of stroke."

NHS East of England said: "Collaboration across dedicated integrated stroke networks has improved access to the service for patients in the east of England, and expanding its provision remains an NHS priority in our region."

Building models with Lego formed part of James Mattless' recovery

In 2019, Mr Mattless was found on his bedroom floor by his father, who recognised his son had a stroke, as he was dipping in and out of consciousness and his speech was slurred.

An ambulance took him to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in King's Lynn, where he also worked as a porter.

He was immediately transferred to the Cambridge hospital, because the King's Lynn hospital was unable to carry out the thrombectomy procedure.

Mr Mattless said he was told by his consultant that there was no reason he had a stroke at such a young age and had been "very unlucky".

"It was a massive upheaval, from the very beginning to where I am now," Mr Mattless said, who had 13 months off work.

"I'd say I'm 85% fit. I still struggle with weakness, I have major fatigue issues, my speech isn't the best, but I'm definitely getting there now."

The porter is now working part-time on the stroke ward at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

Strokes and thrombectomy

• For every 10 minutes of delay, the procedure has a 1% reduction in chance of patient benefit

• More than one in eight (13.2%) of strokes are fatal

• Two-thirds of stroke survivors leave hospital with a disability

• Almost 10% of all stroke patients - where the clot is trapped in a larger blood vessel - benefit from a thrombectomy

• Almost four in 10 (39%) thrombectomy patients experience reduced disability

Source: Stroke Association