Stroke: Young people need more support, says survivor

Nia Phillips said she felt "angry and frustrated" at what happened to her

A woman who had a stroke at 20 is calling for more support for younger people like her, saying there was "next to nothing" in her case.

Nia Phillips, 24, of Ammanford, Carmarthenshire, said strokes were traumatic for anyone, but having one in your 20s "is something else entirely".

She said she was left feeling as if she was alone in the aftermath.

The Welsh government said it was "committed to improving support for stroke survivors of all ages".

In 2019, Ms Phillips was studying for a Psychology degree in London.

One Saturday morning, just two weeks before celebrating her 21st birthday, she was struck down with a crippling headache.

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"The pain was horrendous it was unlike anything I'd experienced before" she said.

"My vision was blurred, I could barely lift my head from the pillow, and I kept being sick."

She said the out-of-hours GP sent her home with painkillers, saying it was a hangover.

After starting university in London, Nia Phillips completed another degree and graduated from Cardiff University

After little improvement, Ms Phillips returned home to Ammanford, where her mother insisted she went to hospital.

A scan revealed she had suffered a blood clot on her brain and faced the possibility of months, if not years, of recovery.

With her university life at an end and her social life on hold, she found herself in a dark place.

"I felt angry and frustrated at what had happened to me. My friends of the same age were still able to go out and do the things people in their 20s do but, suddenly, I couldn't."

Nia Phillips was a university student in London at the time of her stroke

Ms Phillips said she felt a lack of support: "There were no flyers or leaflets offering information on how to meet up groups of other young stroke survivors, it felt as if I was alone.

"I can't help but feel that if this had happened to me in my 70s there would have been a lot more help available. Regarding support for young people, it feels like there is next to nothing."

Austin Willets, CEO of Different Strokes, a charity which works specifically with young stroke survivors described Ms Phillips' story as "disheartening" but "not as uncommon as you would think".

"There are many urgent and unique challenges faced by younger stroke survivors and isolation is often overlooked."

"It would have helped to receive a little information about support groups specifically for younger people," said Nia Phillips

According to the Stroke Association, there are about 1.3 million stroke survivors in the UK, with almost 70,000 in Wales and about 25% of strokes happen to someone of working age or younger.

Katie Chappelle, the charity's associate director for Wales, said: "We need funding to support young stroke survivors with their treatment and recovery, particularly in areas that most impact them, such as returning to education or work."

The Welsh government said its quality statement for stroke outlined its "commitment for improving outcomes and we will continue to work closely with the Stroke Association, the stroke programme board and programme team to maximise opportunities to do this".

A spokesman also said funding was provided for speech and language therapists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and others who could provide the rehabilitation needed to maximise people's recovery.