Having a stroke in my 30s was the best and worst thing that happened to me

Jennifer Howley was flat-out running her own restaurant. But everything changed when she suddenly became disorientated and unable to talk.

Fri, 24 Oct, 2025 - 01:00

Emer Harrington

JUST before Christmas 2015, Jennifer Howley was at home alone in Co Sligo when she felt something was wrong. “I didn’t really know what was happening to me. I couldn’t talk. I couldn’t feel anything,” she recalls.

By the time her partner, Brendan, arrived and brought her to the hospital, her symptoms had eased: “I waited for an MRI, and then they said, ‘You’ve had a stroke, actually a pretty serious stroke’.”

She was 32 years old.

Howley was discharged on Christmas Eve, and 10 days later, had a second ischemic stroke, caused by a clot blocking a brain artery.

According to the World Stroke Organisation, about 15% of all strokes annually occur in people under 50.

The Irish Heart Foundation estimates that people of working age account for more than one in four of stroke cases in Ireland every year.

Before her stroke, Howley ran her own restaurant.

“I was living life at 100 miles an hour, like any 32-year-old. I was very busy with work… I was really probably working too much, but I was happy,” she says.

Stroke survivor, Jennifer Howley: 'I was living life at 100 miles an hour, like any 32-year-old. I was very busy with work… I was really probably working too much.' Photo: James Connolly

While she didn’t have lasting physical symptoms from her strokes, she experienced cognitive difficulties: “It was concentration issues, I couldn’t speak properly when I got tired, I was all jumbled, I couldn’t put words together properly.”

Ischemic strokes make up about 80% of all strokes. Less common are hemorrhagic strokes, where a ruptured blood vessel bleeds into or around the brain. “We call a stroke a cerebrovascular event,” says Noel Caplice, professor of cardiovascular science at University College Cork. “It occurs in the brain, is vascular in nature, and usually it involves blockage of a brain artery by a clot — much less frequently it involves a rupture or haemorrhage of a brain artery (10 to 20%).”

Howley received support from Acquired Brain Injury Ireland (ABII). On the charity’s advice, she moved in with her sister so that she wouldn’t be alone during the day.

“I couldn’t be left on my own, I could walk out in front of a car if you brought me to town,” she says. “I had a lack of awareness of danger… There’d be stuff in the washing machine that should be in the dishwasher. You could find anything in the fridge.”

After six months, she moved into a transitional living unit and underwent 12 weeks of intense rehabilitation.

Jennifer Howley: 'I couldn’t speak properly when I got tired, I was all jumbled, I couldn’t put words together properly.' Picture: James Connolly

“That was the turning point for me… The minute I went in, they had a full action plan,” she says. “They taught me how to manage all my injuries and cognitive problems and how to get around my concentration problems.”

When she eventually moved home, she gave up work to allow her brain to heal. She continued to get support from ABII for two years and was cleared to return to work in 2018.

She got a part-time job in the Ocean Sands Hotel in Enniscrone: “I started a reception job two days a week, and then eventually went up to two and a half days a week, and then eight years later, I’m now general manager at the hotel.”

Now 42, she is married to Brendan and they have a one-year-old son, Lorcan. Her stroke experience has made her reevaluate her priorities.

“It was the best and the worst thing that happened to me in my life,” she says.

“What I’ve learned is that work is not the priority. Work will always be there, and your family comes first.”

Howley still needs regular rest so her brain doesn’t get too tired, and she avoids loud places where possible. “Rest isn’t always asleep. Rest can be just a break from noise, and learning how just to be quiet, even just going for a little walk, or just sitting in silence,” she says

Blessing in disguise

Marc Brady at his home in Bray, Co. Wicklow Photo: Gareth Chaney

Marc Brady from Greystones, Co Wicklow, gained a new outlook on life after his stroke at the age of 30.

“I look at the stroke as a blessing in disguise,” he says. “I think the accident has turned me into a stronger, more positive person. When your memory and concentration are taken and you’re lucky enough to get them back, you’re a lot more grateful about things.”

Brady suffered an ischemic stroke in January 2023. He experienced paralysis on his left side, which subsided soon after the stroke. He was at home alone for around 24 hours before his sister and friend reached him and phoned an ambulance.

“I vaguely knew who they were, but couldn’t remember their names,” he says.

In hospital, Brady was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation — irregular heartbeat — and heart failure, both significant risk factors for ischemic stroke.

Looking back, he believes he missed signs that something was wrong: “I was going to the gym and doing the sauna… I got a bit lightheaded here and there, but I just put that down to doing too much.”

Since his stroke, Brady has been taking medication and receiving support from the National Rehabilitation Hospital and ABII.

“The lasting effects would be more cognitive, like my memory and concentration. I’m still working on that daily with the rehabilitative training unit,” he says. “I’m doing the brain gym and these worksheets. It’s like being back in school again… It’s very disheartening having to read a lot slower, and then you’re not [retaining] what you’re reading.”

Brady struggled with anxiety following his stroke, and his doctors suggested running as a way to manage this. Focusing on exercise, which includes going to the gym, and diet is helping his recovery, he says: “I find I’m a lot less confused, and I can remember things quicker and I can understand things quicker.”

Occasionally, he worries that he may have another stroke: “Even though I’m very fit and I’m doing marathons and stuff like that now, it’s still in the back of my head to some extent.”

Although stroke risk increases with age, there are a number of emerging risk factors associated with stroke in younger adults.

Caplice explains: “Increased cholesterol, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and smoking — they’re the traditional risk factors. But now there’s emerging risk factors in younger people — under 55s particularly — and these are long working hours, stress, anxiety, and depression.”

To reduce your risk of stroke, Caplice recommends focusing on lifestyle factors such as diet, social connections, and nutrition.

“Try to consume a Mediterranean diet… and reduce your alcohol, because that certainly has an impact on blood pressure,” he says.

“Socialise without alcohol, because social balance is good for mental health. Reduce excessive working hours, decrease anxiety — stuff like meditation, yoga, getting out in nature, exercise, and get a better work-life balance.”

After a stroke, it’s essential to monitor blood pressure and take prescribed medications.

Caplice says that around 20% of people only experience high blood pressure at night, and recommends getting a 24-hour blood pressure check to get a complete picture. “If you just go to your GP and get your blood pressure checked, one in five people won’t have high blood pressure detected by that, so definitely get one 24-hour [check] in your evaluation,” he says. “Blood thinners are going to be important, probably, in some form, to reduce clot formation.”

Invisible impacts

Karen Foley, CEO of ABII, says: “Almost half of the referrals to our services last year were for people whose brain injury resulted from a stroke. The average age of those referred to our services is just 50.

“Jennifer and Marc’s stories show both the visible and hidden impacts of stroke, and the difference it can make to have access to rehabilitation. It helps survivors rebuild their confidence, relearn or discover new skills and interests, adapt and adjust to any lasting impacts.

“With the right support, in the right place, at the right time — from hospital to home and community — people can rebuild and live full and meaningful lives.”

Symptoms of a stroke

Recognise a stroke and know what to do by using each letter of the word FAST.

Face - your face may have dropped on one side, you may not be able to smile, or your mouth or eyelid may droop.
Arms - you may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in 1 arm.
Speech - your speech may be slurred or garbled, or you may not be able to talk at all.
Time - it's time to dial 999 immediately if you have any of these signs or symptoms.

See: www2.hse.ie/conditions/stroke