A teenage barmaid who had just finished a shift at the pub where she worked was found unresponsive on her parents' sofa just minutes after she got home.
Elly Milton, who was 19 at the time of her terrifying ordeal on 19 June 2019, had wished her parents goodnight after returning home after a shift at the Evenwood Pub in Runcorn.
But just a few minutes later, her panicked mum, Marie, found her lying on the sofa with a "floppy arm" and a drooping face".
Marie screamed for her husband John to help and the frantic parents called 999 after realising their daughter, who was unable to speak or move, had suffered a stroke, the Liverpool Echo reports.
To mark the conclusion of Stroke Awareness Month this weekend, this is Elly's story, as bravely shared with the ECHO in 2019.
The Liverpool Hope student, from Runcorn, was rushed to Whiston Hospital where she was given the clot busting drug, thrombolysis.
But despite receiving treatment immediately, Elly's condition worsened when her brain began to swell.
After being transferred to the Walton Centre, a major neurology hospital, doctors told Elly's parents that their daughter needed to undergo urgent surgery to survive.
Marie said: “I screamed for my husband John, who was trying to shake her to wake her up.
"He saw Elly’s arm was floppy and her face had dropped, and he knew immediately that she’d had a stroke.”
"It was terrifying. I could see the tears rolling down Elly’s face."
Marie added: “We were told we could lose her if she didn’t have the surgery.
"After the surgery, we were advised she wouldn’t be able to walk, talk or do anything.”
The 19-year-old remained on life support and in critical care for 16 hours after undergoing the surgery.
And after being moved back to Whiston Hospital where doctors set out to investigate the cause of the stroke Elly was transferred to St Helens Hospital, where she is now recovering.
The teenager has been undergoing intensive physiotherapy in a bid to learn to walk again and is receiving ongoing support from the Stroke Association’s Stroke Recovery Service in Halton.
Marie added: “Elly is now proving the doctors wrong and learning to walk again.
"Her right arm is starting to get flickers of life.
"She has pure determination and is pushing herself all the time.
"Now she says words, not always the right words, but little sentences are coming together. She is also able to come home at weekends.”
As she continues on the road to recovery, Elly will attend the Stroke Association's Give a Hand and Bake Sale at the Evenwood Farm Pub in Runcorn, on Friday 01 November from 10am-12pm.
The event is open to local residents to attend and enjoy a cup of tea and a slice of cake, to raise money for the charity.
The charity is also encouraging people across the country to host a bake sale of their own from 28 October - 3 November 2019.
To get involved and sign up for a Give a Hand and Bake fundraising pack click here.
