I survived a stroke

Gerald suffered an ischaemic stroke, the most common type of stroke that occurs when a clot obstructs a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain.

But thanks to the work of a well-coordinated expert team, Gerald was able to return to work three days after what would have been a devastating stroke that would have left him either severely disabled or dead.

"I was woken up by my wife at approximately 11:00 pm because I was thrashing around in the bed. My leg had fallen over the edge of the bed and I was struggling to pull it back up.

I remember her telling our son to quickly call an ambulance as "Dad was having a stroke".

It's estimated that  440 South Africans have a stroke every day (that's 18 every hour), of which about 70 die and about 140 are left with a life changing disability. 

Read Gerald's inspirational story, the good work that's being done to ensure better outcomes for stroke patients, and what to do in a stroke emergency.