A double stroke survivor who was forced to take months off school to recover wants Tasmanians to know stroke does not discriminate.
Cameron Bryer was in year 12, the school captain, and was preparing to perform as the lead role in his school musical when he had his first stroke at just 17 years old.
He was in the middle of an audition for another performance when he began experiencing the telltale F.A.S.T. (Face, Arms, Speech and Time) signs of stroke.
“I couldn’t feel anything on the right side of my body, and I was explaining that to the paramedics when I started to slur my speech, until I couldn’t form any words at all,” he said.
“I was in the final year of school with everything ahead of me, then I was hospitalised for 10 weeks, that was the entirety of term two. When I finally got out of hospital, I wasn’t able to return to school full-time because my body and brain couldn’t handle it.”
Exactly 13 months later, Cameron had a second stroke while two weeks into a new job.
“I was working at a bakery at the time, and I was having trouble using the tongs. I went to speak to the customer, and I couldn’t get my words out. That’s when I knew I was having another one,” he said.
Cameron was born with a rare heart condition which made him susceptible to strokes. After two strokes, he underwent surgery to have a mechanical valve implanted and had a second surgery to replace it with a bioprosthetic in 2022.
Now 22 years old, Cameron has been also diagnosed with fibromyalgia and uses a mobility aid. Cameron is still passionate about the arts and tries find opportunities to perform whenever he can. He now works behind the scenes for the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra.
Cameron is among the 11,000 survivors of stroke living in Tasmania. He wants people to know that stroke can happen to anyone, at any time.
“This was reinforced when I was in rehab after my second stroke, where the youngest stroke patient other than me was 52. I want people to know strokes are a lot more common than people think. Knowing the F.A.S.T. message and getting to hospital quickly can make all the difference when it comes to recovery.”
Stroke Foundation Chief Executive Officer Dr Lisa Murphy said Cameron’s story highlights that strokes don’t just happen to the elderly.
“Stroke does not discriminate. Unfortunately, strokes impact newborn babies, toddlers and school children, just like Cameron.”
“The best thing you can do is learn the F.A.S.T. message. More than 80 per cent of strokes display at least one of the F.A.S.T. signs of stroke.”
