A skateboarder was found to have suffered a stroke after being told to go to hospital by a 111 phone operator when he couldn't remember his own postcode.
Luke Evans, 27, had phoned the NHS line due to suffering a headache and then started to slur his words and shiver, before getting the stroke diagnosis in hospital, reports Plymouth Live.
A year on and Luke, who lives in Plymouth, has returned to his YouTube channel April Babies, a skateboard-related podcast, and revealed how important it was for him to make that call to the NHS.
Discussing the night of the stroke, Luke recalled: “I woke up in the middle of the night and my partner was like, 'why are you rolling about like that?' I told her I had a really bad headache but I just went back to sleep.
“When I woke up in the morning I still had a bad headache but it was a bit different – I was saying to my partner I don’t know if I should call 111 or the doctors."
Luke did ring the non-emergency number, and it was this phone call that changed everything.
“When I was speaking to 111 they were asking me my postcode and I was struggling to remember it," he said. "They said I should probably go to hospital.
“I felt like an idiot going to the hospital during the first lockdown, but I suppose it was a good job I did.”
Luke said that his partner noticed soon after the call that he had begun to show serious signs of something more sinister, such as shivering and the slurring of his words.
Despite this he claims he felt normal until nurses started to question if he had been drinking or taking drugs, which shocked the dad-of-two, who had just woken up from a night's rest.
The seriousness of Luke’s condition became apparent after a brain scan revealed he had suffered a stroke.
At first doctors struggled to work out what had happened as he didn’t have high blood pressure, but following further analysis they discovered that Luke had suffered what some refer to as a 'cryptogenic' stroke.
The skateboarder said: “It just felt surreal – it didn’t really register to me. It wasn’t until I was on the ward and a bit later that night that I realised the severity of it.
“I just thought I had a headache but then I realised actually this might be quite tough.”
Luke has paid tribute to his family, friends and partner who have all supported him through his recovery and initial diagnosis.
He said: “My partner's just got on with it, I’ve never at once thought she was struggling or anything like that. She’s stepped up and done what she’s needed to do.
“She’s looked after me and the children – she’s amazing.”
Luke has also thanked the nurses and doctors who looked after him during his time in hospital.
“I will never get how people can moan about the NHS," he said. “I felt like royalty in there. I felt really well looked after and really cared for.”
After the stroke Luke swapped jobs and is now much happier working in education with vulnerable young adults. On his return to skating he posted an update video on YouTube, which was viewed over 400 times on the first day of its upload.
Luke has thanked his fans and has been touched by comments from people who are not interested in skateboarding but have just been touched by his story.
He said: “It’s just nice that I can put something out there that does that to people.
“It’s been really nice hearing from some old friends and teachers.
“I now feel nothing but blessed, it’s really improved my outlook on life and made me look at what I do have.”
