A sudden stroke robbed a Nailsea teacher of her dream job

Sarah Luxton says her husband, Will, has kept her "grounded" throughout her difficult recovery

A primary school teacher was unable to return to work after suffering from a rare type of stroke.

Sarah Luxton, 44, of Nailsea, near Bristol, was left with physical and emotional difficulties caused by a tear in her brain stem in October 2020.

Now she is supporting a Stroke Association campaign to mark World Stroke Day.

The campaign aims to tackle misconception that strokes only affect older people.

Mrs Luxton was a Year three teacher at Fairfield School in Backwell, Bristol, when she felt what she initially thought was a "crick in the neck".

She was taken to Bristol Royal Infirmary where she spent three weeks in hospital and nearly four receiving rehabilitation.

She was left with muscle weakness, fatigue, eyesight problems, swallowing and breathing difficulties, difficulty reading and writing, and depression.

"Absolutely heart-breaking"

"I had taught for just over 20 years and loved it. Being with the children, learning from them, imparting knowledge, it was my everything," Mrs Luxton said.

"I struggle with mobility, the focus, the concentration, the stamina. I just couldn't do it. I wouldn't want to put any child at risk."

Mrs Luxton's stroke was a rarer type known as a right side Lateral Medullary Syndrome, or a tear in the brain stem.

Sarah's brother, Wayne Ewing, raised £4,200 for The Stroke Association and Nailsea Stroke Survivors Club by doing a sponsored skydive in July

"My body is like a harlequin, the two sides are at odds with each other" she said.

"I have no feeling or temperature gauge on my left side, which is very scary as I have burned and cut myself on a number of occasions but not known I've done it."

To mark World Stroke Day on 29 October, she is encouraging other survivors to seek support in their recovery and spreading awareness that a stroke can happen at any age.

Their survey showed that over half of stroke survivors said their stroke had negatively impacted their careers, stopped them getting a job, being promoted or changing career.

Jackie Cuthbert, associate director for the Stroke Association, said: "Our research highlights that people still think stroke is a condition that only affects older people."

"It's crucial that we challenge this misconception and make people aware that strokes affect younger adults too."

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