A BRITISH man who had dreamed of moving to Australia for years had his dreams destroyed by a “cruel” fate after he suffered a stroke at the age of 30.
Liam Rudd and his girlfriend Stella Slinger Thompson (28) were fulfilling their mutual “dream” of moving to the Gold Coast in Australia.
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Liam Rudd, 30, suffered a stroke aged just 30 after landing his dream job in AustraliaCredit: Kennedy News
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He had two emergency surgeries and was put into an induced coma. Credit: Kennedy News
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Liam’s mum Mandy Mayhew, 58, said he was burning the candle at both ends studying for his degree and workingCredit: Kennedy News
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His girlfriend, Stella Slinger Thompson, 28, has just moved to the Gold CoastCredit: Kennedy News
Liam was “excited” about his new job as a fleet mechanic, but on November 11 – just a day before he was due to start – the 30-year-old suffered a stroke in the shower.
He fell to the bathroom floor paralyzed, where Stella eventually discovered him.
After being rushed to hospital, Liam had two rounds of emergency surgery to remove blood clots from his brain and was placed in an induced coma.
Now the couple are forced to end this dream and return to the UK as they cannot afford the cost of rehabilitation in Australia.
Stella has set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds so they can both travel business class so that Liam can return home safely and begin an intensive rehabilitation process.
She says: “We don’t know what will happen.
“He could be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Who knows at this stage. It’s a lot to live in limbo and try to stay positive but not know anything.”
Although his recovery could take up to a year and a half, he remains hopeful that one day he will be able to pursue his dream and return to Australia.
Liam’s mum, Mandy Mayhew, an estate agent who lives on Hayling Island, Hampshire, flew to Australia for two weeks to be with her son after hearing the news.
Mandy said: “I’ve never cried so much in my life. It was such a shock to everyone. They don’t know how it happened. They don’t know why it happened.
The NHS is launching a major new stroke campaign as thousands of people delay calling 911 by almost 90 minutes
“He’s super fit and eats really clean.”
Mandy says at first the family feared he would be “brain dead on the right side and completely paralyzed on the left” – but his progress has been “remarkable”.
“The road is long, but obviously remarkable,” she says.
“How cruel. In addition to getting a degree, which is difficult, and an engineering degree is very difficult, he also fixed people’s cars.
“He burns a candle on 100 sides. It spreads very thin. I said ‘that made you stop, didn’t it’.”
Doctors have not confirmed what caused the stroke, but think it could be related to fibroelastoma, a benign tumor that can grow on heart valves.
Liam, who will return to Guildford, Surrey, said: “It was a massive shock. I don’t remember too much from the start. I didn’t feel any symptoms.
“I just remember I had a stroke and I was paralyzed on the floor and I was struggling and trying to get up but I couldn’t.
“I was supposed to start a new job as a fleet mechanic for a fleet engineering company. I love the job so I was disappointed.
“But at the same time, there was nothing I could do to change anything, so you have to accept it.
“My plan is to go back to the UK for intensive rehabilitation and then come back to Australia anyway. That’s still an open possibility.
“I am very happy. My employer was very understanding. I think the opportunity was not lost.
“Doctors expect a full recovery, but we have a long way to go and it will take an incredible amount of work to get there. You have to keep your mind strong.”
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Liam says he plans to return to Australia when he can Credit: Kennedy News
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But he has to return to the UK for physiotherapy on the NHS. Credits: Kennedy News
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Liam collapsed in the shower and was paralyzed from a strokeCredit: Kennedy News
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The 30-year-old is examined by doctors five times a dayCredit: Kennedy News
‘Nightmare’
Stella, who works as an advertising producer and is from Brighton, East Sussex, was due to meet Liam for lunch with friends on November 11 and became concerned when he didn’t answer his phone.
After finding him lying on the bathroom floor, she called 911, thinking he had a concussion.
Stella said: “It was crazy. Even now I don’t think I’ve come to terms with it. It’s a living nightmare.
“He was late picking me up. He’s usually a little late, so I didn’t think much of it. But I called him for over an hour. I’d call, then it would ring, pick up and reject.
“I thought ‘this is weird’. Then finally after an hour he answered. It didn’t make sense. All I could make out was he was saying ‘help’. So I hurried and called three of his friends.
“We arrived and found him on the bathroom floor. Apparently he was in the shower and passed out or hit his head. He was banging his head and banging on the floor to tell us he had fallen.
“I called 911. They gave me a message to put him in the recovery position because he was vomiting.
“At the time, we all thought he had a really bad concussion. We didn’t realize what it was at the time.”
Liam became unresponsive on his left side, and after arriving at the hospital, doctors discovered he had suffered a stroke and needed emergency surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain.
However, during the eight-hour operation, doctors found a second blood clot that was too “risky” to operate on immediately.
The next day, he had to have another operation, which lasted six hours.
Stella said the experience was “harrowing” and added: “He’s been in a coma ever since. Three days later they started taking him off the sedation. He slowly came out of the coma and came off all the tubes.”
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Liam was rushed into emergency surgery to remove a blood clot from his brainCredit: Kennedy News
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Doctors also had to remove another high-risk clotCredit: Kennedy News
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After the operation, he was put into an induced comaCredit: Kennedy News
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Since then, the 30-year-old has lived in limboCredit: Kennedy News
What are the symptoms of a stroke?
The FAST method – which stands for Face, Arms, Speech, Time – is the easiest way to remember the most common stroke symptoms:
F = Relaxed face – if one side of someone’s face is droopy or numb, ask them to smile, if it’s uneven, you should seek help.
A = Arm weakness – if one arm is weak or numb, you should ask the person to raise both arms. If one arm slides down, you may need to seek help
S = Difficulty speaking – if a person’s speech is slurred, it could be a sign of a stroke
T = It’s time to call 999 – if the person has the above signs, you should call 999 in the UK or 911 in the US for emergency help.
Other symptoms include:
- sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body
- difficulty in finding words
- sudden blurred vision or vision loss
- sudden lightheadedness, dizziness or unsteadiness
- sudden and severe headache
- difficulty understanding what others are saying
- difficulty swallowing
‘Living in limbo’
The mechanic is currently being examined five times a day by doctors in the stroke ward.
Although Liam’s emergency medical expenses are covered by the UK’s reciprocal agreement with Australia, it does not cover his rehabilitation process as he is not an Australian citizen or has sponsorship.
Stella said: “As soon as he moves into the rehab ward that’s when the costs will start coming in.
“It would become very expensive and a financial burden to the point of £8,000 a week.
“They have advised that the best case scenario is for us to go to the UK and get the rehab he needs at home where it is free because of the amazing NHS.”
The advertising producer has set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the costs of flying Liam home safely in business class before he is taken to the nearest hospital.
Stella said: “[The support has] was overwhelming. When we first launched it within 12 hours, it cost £12,000. He became emotional for the first time and actually cried because he was overwhelmed by the love and support he had.
“Staying here full-time was the ultimate dream for him, as it was for us. It was unfortunate. Hopefully we can get him healthy enough to come back here and continue his dream.”
Strokes in young people
A common misconception about stroke is that it mostly affects older people, but stroke can affect anyone at any age.
According to the Stroke Association, one in four strokes occurs in people of working age.
The charity says strokes in people under 60 have increased by almost 16 per cent between 2013 and 2023.
The Oxford Vascular Study includes data from more than 94,000 people registered at GP surgeries in Oxfordshire over a 20-year period.
It was established that between 2002-2010 and 2010-2018. there was a 67 percent increase in stroke incidence among younger adults under 55, and a 15 percent decrease among older adults.
Among young people who have had a stroke, the number of people working in more qualified occupations, especially professional or managerial jobs, has increased significantly.
This could suggest that work-related stress, low physical activity and long working hours are associated with stroke risk.
Although the numbers are rising, if you are under 55, your chances of having a stroke are still very low.
High blood pressure is the single biggest risk factor for stroke, while diabetes, atrial fibrillation and high cholesterol also increase risk.
Source: Stroke Association
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Mandy said Liam was ‘a true warrior’Credit: Kennedy News
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Liam receiving physiotherapy after stroke Credit: Kennedy News
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Liam pictured with staples in his head after surgery Credit: Kennedy News
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Liam has a long journey ahead of him to get back on his feet Credit: Kennedy News
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