Ulladulla Stroke Recovery Support Group is here to help

The Manyana couple enjoys the support, comfort and friendship that comes from being part of the group.

They heard about the support group from friends, a few years ago, and decided it was a good thing to join.

Mr Melville had a sudden stroke five-and-half years ago.

"I had no lead-up symptoms and it just went boom," he said.

He urges other stroke survivors to reach out and get support.

"I enjoy going to the stroke club meetings once a month - it's a nice outing. I reckon the meetings are something that anyone would look forward too," he said.

Mr Melville said the cycle of support goes around - one person gets help and they, in turn, help someone else.

"It's nice to get together with friends, have a chat and I think that is what it's all about," Mrs Melville said.

Mrs Melville understands some people might be reluctant, for various reasons, to contact the group but she urges them to give it a try.

Meanwhile, the Manyana residents were on holiday, five-and-a-half-years-ago, in Victoria when things took a turn for the worst.

One minute Mr Melville was conscious and the next minute he was not.

"We were in the middle of dinner and the next minute Des was on the floor," Mrs Melville said.

Luckily two paramedics were in the hotel where they were having dinner and they were able to take action straight away.

Mr Melville did not know this at the time but he had a bled on the back of his cerebellum.

A cerebellar stroke is one of the less common types of strokes. It occurs when a blood vessel is blocked or bleeding, causing complete interruption to a portion of the cerebellum.

He was medically transported from a remote part of Victoria to Monash Hospital in Melbourne

Mr Melville, at first, had a weakness to the right side of his body and had limited movement.

He was in the hospital for over a week and then moved to another facility where he did 10 weeks of physiotherapy.

Mr Melville, at first, could not walk but after 10 weeks he had sufficiently recovered and was able to go home.

Mr and Mrs Melville said they also had marvellous follow up help in Milton Hospital thanks to the NSW Health Service.

He was always determined to have some quality of life and believes he achieved this goal.

Ulladulla Stroke Recovery Location: Catholic Hall, Green St, Ulladulla

Time: 10.00 am - 12.00 noon

When: Third Friday of the month

Contact Rick Gallagher 4454 0412

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Stroke Awareness Week will be held from Monday 2nd September until Sunday 8th September 2019. This week aims to raise awareness in the community about Stroke prevention and recovery.

Stroke Week is an annual opportunity to raise awareness of stroke and Stroke Foundation in Australia. The theme for 2019 is F.A.S.T heroes, recognising the people who spotted the signs of stroke and called an ambulance straight away, potentially saving a life.

The Stroke Foundation recommends the F.A.S.T. test as an easy way to remember the most common signs of stroke.

Using the F.A.S.T. test involves asking these simple questions:

Face Check their face. Has their mouth drooped?

Arms Can they lift both arms?

Speech Is their speech slurred? Do they understand you?

Time Is critical. If you see any of these signs call 000 straight away.

The following signs of stroke may occur alone or in combination:

Weakness or numbness or paralysis of the face, arm or leg on either or both sides of the body

Difficulty speaking or understanding

Dizziness, loss of balance or an unexplained fall

Loss of vision, sudden blurred or decreased vision in one or both eyes

Headache, usually severe and abrupt onset or unexplained change in the pattern of headaches

Difficulty swallowing

Someone has a Stroke every nine (9) minutes in Australia.

Stroke kills more women than breast cancer and more men than prostate cancer.

Around 30% of Stroke survivors are of working age (under the age of 65).

In 2015, an estimated 394,000 people-199,000 males and 195,000 females-had a Stroke.

People in regional areas are 19% more likely to experience Stroke than those in metropolitan areas.

It is projected that there will be one (1) million Stroke survivors in Australia by 2050.

The Stroke Recovery Association has over 42 Clubs in NSW. These groups provide support and a safe environment for Stroke survivors to form new friendships and share their own unique experiences of stroke.

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