North Wales stroke survivor supports charity to highlight 'survival is not enough'

A stroke survivor who lives in Carmel near Holywell in North Wales, is sharing their story ahead of World Stroke Day, as part of a national campaign to spotlight the fragility of the brain and the life-changing impact a stroke can have on people of all ages.

Paul Marwing was 55 when he had a stroke in December 2021. At first, he thought the headache, nausea and overwhelming tiredness he was experiencing were symptoms of COVID-19. The following morning, the left side of his body went numb and he struggled to walk, but stroke did not occur to him. After his symptoms worsened, his twin sister and brother-in-law took him to hospital, where scans confirmed he had suffered a stroke.

Although Paul regained much of his physical ability, recovery brought challenges that other people could not easily see. He experienced severe stroke fatigue, anxiety and a persistent fear of having another stroke. He still does not know what caused it. “The stroke was one event,” he says. “Living with it afterwards is something completely different.”

Paul says follow-up care focused largely on his physical progress, while the emotional impact was harder to navigate. Because he looked well and could walk and talk, people often assumed he had recovered. In reality, he was struggling with concentration, exhaustion and the uncertainty of life after stroke. “The mental scars have lasted far longer than the physical ones,” he says.

Around 18 months ago, Paul became a volunteer with the Stroke Association’s Stroke Connect service, which connects stroke survivors with trained volunteers who have experienced stroke themselves. He now offers others the understanding he wished he had found earlier in his recovery. “If I’d had somebody like that after my stroke, it would have made such a difference,” he says. “I thought I was giving something back but actually it’s a two-way thing.”

Through sharing his story, Paul hopes to challenge misconceptions about stroke and highlight that recovery does not end when someone leaves hospital. He wants people to be patient and recognise the hidden effects, including fatigue, fear and anxiety. “Take a moment. Pause, think, show patience and try to understand why somebody might be the way they are,” he says.

In the UK, someone has a stroke every five minutes, with 1.4 million people currently living with a brain injury caused by stroke. More than 85,000 people survive a stroke every year, but recovery is only the beginning. Many face a long and gruelling journey adjusting to the trauma and rebuilding their lives, often left without the essential long-term rehabilitation and support they need.

Despite the life-changing impact of stroke, awareness of its severity and the long-term challenges survivors face remains worryingly low amongst the general public.

Although one in four strokes happen to people of working age, nearly a third (28%) of Brits surveyed by the Stroke Association believe they mainly affect people over-65s. While a third of those aged 18-34 (34%) and almost a quarter of 35-44 year olds (24%) believe they’re too young to have one.

The knowledge gap extends to the impact of stroke, with almost a third (32%) unaware that it is a brain injury and nearly one in five (19%) not realising it can cause long-term difficulties with walking, talking, seeing or swallowing. Almost a quarter (22%) underestimate the road to recovery believing it takes just a few months of less.

The Stroke Association’s campaign ‘Survival is Not Enough’ aims to drive awareness of the impact of stroke and support a two-part documentary series commissioned by Channel 4, in partnership with the charity: ‘Trauma: My Broken Brain’. The series follows three young adults, Dan, Saskia and Dec, through the fight of their lives after a life-threatening stroke. ‘Trauma: My Broken Brain’ will be available to stream from Monday 26^thOctober at 10pm on Channel 4.

Katie Chappelle, Associate Director for Wales at the Stroke Association, said: “A stroke is a devastating brain injury, leaving behind life-changing trauma. In an instant, a stroke can steal away the things that many of us take for granted, such as walking, talking, eating and living independently; the things that make you, you. This new research shows that people still don’t understand a stroke happens in the brain and wrongly believe a stroke only affects older people.

"A stroke isn't only a medical emergency from which you either die or survive, but instead the start of a long and gruelling journey to rebuilding a life. For so many stroke survivors, the fight doesn’t end when their lives are saved, yet every day survivors and their families are left traumatised and without the long-term rehabilitation and support they need. After everything a stroke takes, no-one should have to fight for essential support to recover and live a full life again.”

As part of the campaign, the Stroke Association unveiled a giant brain carved entirely from ice on London’s Southbank, creating a striking spectacle in the heart of the capital. Standing at 2.5 metres tall, the sculpture, which took 150 hours across five days to create, was designed to represent both the complexity and fragility of the human brain.

The ice brain sculpture will be in place at Southbank’s Observation Point on Monday 26^thand Tuesday 27^th October, with members of the public encouraged to stop, view the installation up close and find out more about the impact of stroke through the stroke survivors’ stories.

1.4 million people are living with a brain injury caused by stroke. Help the Stroke Association change what comes next: www.stroke.org.uk/brain

ENDS

For more information, please contact Laura.Thomas@stroke.org.uk or call 07891795561.