A Sydney man who had to re-learn to walk and talk again after a devastating stroke has his sights set on a new challenge to regain his independence.
David Crombie has been working hard to regain his driver’s licence following his stroke in December 2021. His ultimate goal is riding his motorbike again.
Aged just 54 at the time, David was working as the CEO of a national organisation when he began to experience the telltale F.A.S.T. (Face, Arms, Speech and Time) signs of stroke.
“I had just taken quite a stressful phone call. I said to my partner Sonia, I’m not feeling well. I went to sit down but I couldn’t get back up, and then my face started to droop. Sonia called triple 000 immediately,” David said.
“I was in hospital in 30 minutes, but even in that short amount of time, the stroke had killed a seven-centimetre area of my brain. My family were told my chances of survival were low.”
Despite the dire prognosis, David defied doctors’ odds during his three-month rehabilitation stay.
“When I first got to rehab, I couldn’t even stand on my own, I couldn’t drink. But I worked really hard, doing physio both morning and night, and I was able to walk out of there unassisted, with my therapists cheering me on,” he said.
Now 18 months post-stroke, David continues to see a team of specialists.
“Everything I do now is about avoiding another stroke. I concentrate on doing a minimum number of steps each day, I’m doing around 4,000 a day,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to getting my freedom back when I can drive again. Sometimes I feel like a burden when I used to be so independent. I didn’t realise young people had strokes. I was quite fit and healthy at the time. It was a huge shock to me.”
Stroke Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Dr Lisa Murphy, said it’s a common misconception strokes only happened to elderly Australians.
“Around 20 strokes a day impact working aged Australians, between 18 and 65. That’s why it’s so important for everyone to know the F.A.S.T. message, because it saves lives,” Dr Murphy said.
“F is for face- Check their face, has their mouth drooped? A is for arms- can they lift both arms? S is for speech- is their speech slurred? Do they understand you? And T is for time- time is critical, if you see any of these signs call triple zero (000) straight away.”
