'Life really did change in an instant,' recalls woman after stroke at 32

Heidi Kingston, stroke survivor, told Heart & Stroke Voice Ireland (HSVI), the newly launched patient and carer-led alliance: “Today, I stand in front of you having received my PhD and I’m five months pregnant.” Picture: Julien Behal

A young woman who had a stroke at 32 has told how her "life really did change in an instant” as she called for more patient supports.

Heidi Kingston described her stroke in December 2021 during the launch of a new patient advocacy group Heart and Stroke Voice Ireland, an initiative of Croi. “I was an active and adventurous 32 year-old,” she said.

“I convinced myself that I was having a headache, a hormonal headache or maybe a side-effect of medication I took for the headache. Along with the headache I had numbness and tingling from my right side, from my neck all the way to my foot, and I had darkened peripheral vision.” 

She was visiting family in New Jersey with her husband from their home in Galway, and only went to hospital following a phone call with her GP. “It was there that he and I learned I had had a stroke. I was in complete shock,” she said. 

I never knew someone my age could have a stroke.

Told she had an undiagnosed heart condition, she said: “In that moment I didn’t know how lucky I was to be speaking, walking and to be alive.” 

She said she felt "completely exhausted, confused and alone" when she returned home to Galway. “My biggest fear was that I would not be able to become pregnant and start a family with my husband for fear of being too high-risk. That was something I couldn’t find any information on.” 

She struggled to access public healthcare having been ill abroad and relied on private care initially.

Pictured at the launch of Heart Stroke Voice Ireland is (left to right) Heidi Kingston, Neil Johnson, Chief Executive of Croí & Executive Director of Global Heart Hub. David Kelly, Chairperson of HSVI, Magda Daccord, CEO of FH Europe, and Mary Harney, former Minister for Health and Children. Picture: Julien Behal

“It took about seven months to see an occupational therapist and begin talking about my goals for the first year of recovery,” she said.

Heidi struggled with cognitive fatigue and relied heavily on family, eventually coming to Croi who directed her to rehabilitation.

“Today, I stand in front of you having received my PhD and I’m five months pregnant,” she said to applause.

I’m proud of myself for putting those supports in place, however, it shouldn’t up to me alone.

Patron and former health minister, Mary Harney, urged the group to focus on strategy and evidence-based policy. She discussed a new Australian stroke plan in view of its potential for Ireland.

“Over five years they expect to reduce by 76,500 the number of people that have heart attacks or strokes,” she said.

“If you translate that to Ireland, our population is one-fifth of the Australian, so that would be 1,500 lives saved over the next five years, or over 3,000 a year which is a third of all the people (in Ireland) who have a stroke or heart attack.” 

Ms Harney said: “I’m a strong fan of the patient voice.” 

She recalled discussions around Ireland’s cancer strategy, saying money was “the monkey in the room” but patients were powerfully represented by the Irish Cancer Society.

“Very often in Ireland we have a very good strategy but we fall down on its implementation,” she said.

Visit Croi for more information.