A man has described his life-changing experience after suffering a stroke just days after heading the ball during a soccer match.
Tom Hooper, from Brighton, was playing football last summer when he was hit in the head by a ball.
The 32-year-old man suffered from speech and memory problems and visited the hospital twice in the days following the incident, but was sent home.
When the former school fitness coach woke up 10 days after the incident, he felt weakness on one side of his body and was rushed to hospital where he was diagnosed with a stroke.
Mr Hooper now has a continuing speech impediment, has weakness on the right side of his body and uses a cane to walk, but is unsure if he will be able to work again and is no longer able to go out at night or play sports.
Tom Hooper, from Brighton, was playing football last summer when a ball hit him in the head.
The 32-year-old man suffered speech and memory problems and visited the hospital twice in the days following the incident, but was sent home.
Mr Hooper was playing sevens football at Brighton’s Preston Park in August last year.
“The ball was passed to the center midfielder and he took a shot towards goal,” the player said. I tried to head the ball to clear it, but the ball was bulging violently.
“I couldn’t remember anyone’s name. All I could say was left and right, yes and no. I sat down. I tried to hear the words, but nothing came out.”
Hooper was unable to use his cell phone, but he walked to his mother Carol’s nearby home.
He said: “I went to the Royal Sussex County Hospital for the first time. They drove me home. They told me to read what to do. Rest.
According to the NHS, if you have other symptoms due to a head injury, such as vomiting, behavioral changes or memory problems, you should go to A&E.
People returning home with minor head injuries should self-care at home by using ice packs to reduce swelling, resting and taking painkillers, the health department’s advice said. There is.
Hooper said: “The next day I went again. I didn’t feel good at all. I knew something was wrong. I pushed myself and I don’t know how I did it.
“They sent me for a scan and they didn’t find anything. I said, ‘I think you need to take care of me.’ They sent me back home again. ”
Hooper was staying at his mother’s home so she could be cared for.
About a week later, he woke up feeling numbness on the right side of his body.
When he got out of bed and tried to walk, he fell.
His mother called 999 and Mr Hooper was rushed to the Royal Sussex County Hospital, where he was diagnosed as having suffered a seizure and was unable to speak.
A stroke is a serious, life-threatening medical condition that occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off.
Nearly 9 out of 10 cases are caused by blood clots, but the remaining cases are caused by weakened blood vessels supplying blood to the brain bursting.
In rare cases, head trauma can weaken blood vessels and cause clotting problems, both of which can cause a stroke, doctors said.
Survivors usually have long-term problems caused by brain damage.
In the UK, 100,000 people suffer a stroke each year, while in the US the number is 800,000.
After six weeks of hospital treatment, Mr Hooper underwent two months of rehabilitation at the Princess Royal in Haywards Heath.
Mr Hooper was initially unable to speak at all, but after undergoing speech and language therapy (SLT) at the Princess Royal, his speech began to return.
However, he still suffers from aphasia, a condition that makes language and conversation difficult.
However, his family is currently paying Mr Hooper £380 a week for private SLT and physiotherapy.
“It had a huge impact on my social life,” said Hooper, who previously worked as a strength and conditioning coach at Cardinal Newman School.
“I don’t go out at night. I miss sports and the countryside. I don’t have a car.
“Will I be able to work again in the future?” I don’t know. People say I can sit and serve customers, but I can’t do that because of the way I speak. My language is limited due to aphasia.
“I have weakness on the right side of my body. I can grab things, but I can’t let go. I can type and move the mouse with my left hand.
“I can walk around the house and even upstairs, but I need a handrail on my left side. I use a cane to walk, but my foot drops.”
Mr Hooper is supported by the Stroke Association’s Stroke Recovery Service, which supports stroke survivors.
He says, “I talk to Marie every week.” It’s fun to talk to someone who understands. That means a lot. When I speak, she listens. ”
Nick O’Donoghue, the charity’s South East associate director, said: “Our research highlights that people still think stroke is a condition that only affects older people. Ta.
“It is important to challenge this misconception and make people aware that stroke also affects young people.
“When you have a stroke, your life changes in an instant. Two-thirds of people who survive a stroke end up living with a disability.
“As a result, young stroke survivors are deprived of important milestones and the future they had planned, and must learn how to adapt to a new life with stroke.”
