A ‘superfit healthy eater’ is facing a life of paralysis after suffering a shock stroke at just 30 years-old — as cases of attacks in Brits under 50s continue to soar.
Liam Rudd, a mechanic from Guildford, had just moved to the Australian Gold Coast when he suffered the deadly stroke, causing him to immediately collapse in the shower.
His partner, Stella Slinger Thompson, 28, found him unable to move after the attack, on Sunday 11th November, and immediately called an ambulance.
‘He’d been throwing up so we thought he had a really bad concussion, we didn’t realise what it was at that point,’ recalled Ms Slinger Thompson, who is from Brighton but also lives in Australia.
Now, having recently awoken from a coma, Mr Rudd suffers paralysis on his left side, and has been told he must undergo intensive rehabilitation for at least a year and a half.
‘We don’t know what’s going to happen,’ said Ms Slinger Thompson. ‘He could be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Who knows at this stage. It’s a lot of living in limbo and trying to stay positive without really knowing anything.’
After arriving at hospital, doctors examined Mr Rudd and almost immediately accertained that he had suffered a stroke due to paralysis on his left side.
He’d need emergency surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain that had caused the attack, they said.
Liam Rudd, 30, suffered a potentially deadly stroke despite being ‘superfit’ and ‘eating healthily’.
However, during surgery doctors found a second blood clot that was too ‘high risk’ to operate on immediately, forcing them to delay the operation until the following day.
The first surgery took six hours, and involved cutting into his skull to relieve any pressure in his brain.
‘The second surgery was a pretty sleepless night,’ said Ms Slinger Thompson. ‘It’s been pretty bleak.’
Doctors put Mr Rudd into a medically induced coma in order to carry out the risky operation.
He remained sedated for the following three days, before doctors decided it was safe to wake him up.
Doctors haven’t confirmed what caused the stroke but think it may be linked to a fibroelastoma, a benign tumour that can grow on the heart valves and cause clots.
He is currently being seen five times a day by doctors in a stroke ward and is visited everyday by Ms Slinger Thompson.
While Mr Rudd’s emergency medical expenses are covered by the UK’s reciprocal agreement with Australia, it does not cover his rehabilitation process because he’s not an Australian citizen, nor does he have a sponsorship.
‘He’s in the stroke ward currently but as soon as he’s moved to the rehab ward that’s when the costs will start coming,’ said Ms Slinger Thompson.
Mr Rudd was put into a medically-induced coma following the attack, in order to carry out a life-saving operation on his brain.
Mr Rudd has been told it will likely take at least a year and a half for him to recovery from the attack
Mr Rudd has been forced to abandon his dream of living in Australia and fly back to the UK where he can receive free healthcare.
‘From the rehab stage it would become very costly and a financial burden to the point where it’s £8,000 a week.
They’ve advised that the best-case scenario is for us to go to the UK and get the rehab he needs back home where it is free because of the amazing NHS.’
The advertising producer set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the cost of flying Liam home safely before he will be taken to the nearest hospital.
‘[The support has] been overwhelming. When we first launched it within 12 hours it was on £12,000. He, for the first time, got emotional and actually cried because he was so overwhelmed by the love and support he’s had.’
She added that her partner has ‘always wanted’ to live in Australia and it became their shared ‘dream’ and she hopes he will be able to return in the future.
‘It’s so unlucky. He moved out here and was about to start a new job. He’s always wanted to go to Australia since the first day I met him. He’s always talked about it.’
Mr Rudd’s attack comes as experts warn of an alarming rise in strokes among younger adults.
Earlier this month, a MailOnline analysis of NHS data revealed that strokes among men aged under 39 have jumped by nearly a quarter over the last two decades.
According to NHS figures, strokes among young men under 40 have risen by a quarter over the last two decades.
In comparison, life-threatening attacks in women of the same age have risen by just one per cent.
Earlier this year, NHS health chiefs warned that the number of people aged 50 to 59 who suffer the potentially fatal condition has risen by 55 per cent in the past 20 years, official data shows.
Strokes affect more than 100,000 Brits annually — one every five minutes — claiming 38,000 lives.
This makes it the UK’s fourth biggest killer and a leading cause of disability.
The problem occurs when the blood supply to the brain is cut off, killing brain cells. The damage can lead to long-term disability and affect how people think and feel.
The most common cause is fatty deposits or a blood clot blocking arteries supplying the brain — known as ischaemic stroke.
This happens due to cardiovascular disease, when blood vessels become narrowed or blocked over time by plaques.
These are made of cholesterol, calcium and other substances that build up in the artery walls in a process known as atherosclerosis.
The other — called hemorrhagic strokes — occurs when a blood vessel bursts in the brain and starts to leak its contents into the organ.
Despite advances in care improving survival rates, strokes remain the fourth-leading cause of death in the UK, with 38,000 stroke-related deaths annually.
