A schoolboy jumped into action when he realised his gran was seriously ill.
Sam Dean, 12, was enjoying a family barbecue. His grandmother Christine was playing with her grandkids when she injured her knee and said her shoes were rubbing feet.
The 64-year-old decided to go back inside and change her footwear.
Sam quickly realised something wasn't right, and that was ill. He then alerted the other, Stoke-on-Trent Live reports.
His mum Cheryl Dean said: “Sam came to grab me and said that something was very wrong with nan. Sam and my mum are so close and in tune, so he must have realised straight away that it was serious.”
They called for an ambulance and she was taken to hospital, where doctors diagnosed the stroke.
Christine, from Hanford, is now working hard on her rehabilitation after losing the strength and mobility in her left-hand side. She is already able to walk with support.
The family believe Sam’s instinctive actions helped prevent the damage being worse. They are now encouraging other schools to teach students how to spot the signs of a stroke.
Cheryl, aged 42, said: “We are so grateful that Sam noticed something bad was happening – for a 12-year-old especially.
“This has totally rocked us as a family. We know it could have been much worse. In truth, I think Sam saved her life – all because he knew to get help.”
Now the family want to encourage schools to teach pupils the signs of a stroke.
And they are being supported by the Stroke Association, which has urged people to watch out for the symptoms dubbed ‘FAST’ – face. Arms, speech and time.
Cheryl said: “The signs of stroke need to be taught in schools. It’s terrifying to me that it isn’t. Obviously, we don’t want to scare our kids, but there are ways of explaining the signs of stroke and what to watch out for.
“In the past, I’ve always explained to Sam that stroke is like a house being on fire – the faster you put it out, the more rooms you save.
“Kids can sometimes see the things that adults can’t, just as Sam did on that day. I honestly think teaching children about stroke and what to do when they notice any of the signs, can be the difference between life and death. It really is that serious.
