A teenage barmaid who had just finished her shift was found unresponsive on her sofa parent's just minutes after she got home.
Elly Milton, who was 19 at the time of her terrifying ordeal, wished her parents goodnight after finishing her pub shift at the Evenwood Pub in Runcorn.
But minutes later she was found lying on the sofa by her mum Marie 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.
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 immediate treatment, things soon went from bad to worse for Elly, when her brain began to swell.
And as Elly, was taken to the Walton Centre, Mum Marie said, doctors told them they could lose their daughter if she didn't undergo urgent surgery.
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."
