2023 is a year Ellis Dawson, from Newtownabbey, will never forget. Not for reasons like working hard in her career, travelling, leading a busy and full life, but because it is the year she battled through two strokes- at just 31 years old.
Ellis’ life changed completely but thanks to her determination and hard work, she has recovered well and wants to use what happened to her for something positive. She is currently preparing to take on local health charity Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke’s (NICHS) Red Dress Fun Run to help raise funds and awareness for stroke and is encouraging the public to sign up too.
This will be Ellis’ first time participating in the five-kilometre run or walk, which is supported by MACE and Musgrave MarketPlace, and which raises much needed money for NICHS’s care and prevention services and research projects, as well as awareness of chest, heart and stroke conditions.
Ellis recalls; “I had my first stroke in September 2023. I work as cabin crew and I had a TIA (transient ischaemic attack), or mini stroke as it’s often referred to, whilst on a flight to Corfu. It was terrifying to have that happen whilst up in the air. My face had drooped and when I spoke to colleagues it was decided the plane should be diverted to Manchester. I was taken to A&E and had CT scans and blood test, but the doctors couldn’t determine what had happened. I was sent home and told to get a second opinion back in Belfast but not to go to work or drive.”
“Back home I was referred for an MRI scan and it was after that the doctor confirmed I had had a TIA, which was the biggest shock of my life. I didn’t think anything like that could happen because of my age. I was just 31, and I was fit, active, at the gym all the time, walking the dog every day. I couldn’t believe it.”
“That is the main reason I am now sharing my story. Most people have the misconception that stroke is something that mainly affects older people, but it can happen to anyone, at any age and I want people to be aware of that. I had also previously thought strokes happen to people who are overweight, smoke, and lead unhealthy lifestyles, which I now know is wrong. That's why I want to share my story, to get that message out, and to beat that stigma around stroke.”
Ellis was prescribed blood thinners, and it was discovered she had a PFO (Patent Foramen Ovale), a hole in her heart, which was the cause of her stroke. Ellis explains; “I had never heard of a PFO. The doctors explained I would need surgery to close the hole in my heart and I was put on the waiting list for that. I was advised that if I felt ok, I could go back to work, which I did after a few weeks.”
“Three months later I went to Iceland and two days into that holiday I had a severe stroke. I woke up with complete paralysis of the left-hand side and difficulty with my speech. It was terrifying and being abroad made it even more so.”
“I was rushed to hospital for a thrombectomy, which is a procedure to remove blood clots and help restore blood flow to the brain and other organs. The not knowing how things would turn out was so frightening, especially as the whole left-hand side of my body was paralysed. I was told my mobility might only come back to about 80%, and the best-case scenario was 90%. To hear that was just unbelievable.”
“I had my stroke on a Thursday, and I was able to fly home on the Sunday night. The doctors let me come home because I was able to ‘walk’ in some fashion, but I was very unsteady on my feet, and it took all the strength I had. I just wanted to get back home.”
Once home, Ellis was keen to continue her recovery journey and avail of statutory rehabilitation services but unfortunately that did not happen, as she explains; “When I got home, I contacted the health service and was told I would need an appointment to speak to my stroke consultant who I had been under the care of after my TIA. There must have been some sort of miscommunication however as I never got an appointment and therefore never got any physiotherapy or rehab. When I eventually saw my consultant, he didn’t know I’d had a stroke!”
“By that stage I had done my own physio based on the exercises the staff did with me when I was in hospital in Iceland and YouTube videos. I had worked hard on regaining my strength and fine motor skills and felt like I was back to my old self physically by that time, but it was hard. It would be scary enough navigating recovery after a stroke when you are under the care of a hospital team but being left to navigate that by yourself and wondering ‘am I doing the right things?’, knowing how to do enough but not too much, was a very difficult experience. I am so lucky however and I know I represent the best-case scenario of a recovery after stroke.”
It was not just the physical impacts of the stroke Ellis had to deal with, however. “The impact of the stroke on my mental health was massive. Especially since I’d had the TIA but was told if I felt ok, I could go back to normal whilst waiting for the PFO closure surgery. I never thought I would end up having another stroke, and a major one at that.”
“At the start, when I was going through my physical recovery, the mental side of things didn’t really register because I just was so focused on trying to get myself back up to the best I could. Afterwards however it was so hard. I wasn't allowed to go back to work until I got my PFO closure surgery, and I was just stuck at home, all day every day, not knowing what would happen with my job, and panicking about having another stroke, and whether it would be worse, if I would get the care I would need, and what my future would hold.”
“I was on the PFO closure waiting list for six months and that time was just horrendous for me. I had panic attacks, and I've never suffered from any kind of mental health issues before. It took me a couple of months before I asked for help with that because I usually just try and do everything myself. Time has been a healer however and having the PFO closure has really helped. I had my surgery on the16th of May. I was really nervous beforehand but thankfully everything went well, and my recovery was brilliant afterwards. It is good to know the cause of my stroke has been fixed. It helps take away that feeling of being at risk. It also meant I was able to return to work in July and I am so happy to be back.”
Now Ellis is focussing on the future and getting back to life as it used to be as much as possible, including getting back to exercising regularly, which is how the idea of taking part in the Red Dress Fun Run came about. Ellis explains; “I got to know of Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke because after I had the TIA, I followed them on Instagram. The charity shares lots of stroke survivor stories, in particular ones from young stroke survivors, and reading these really helped me during my recovery process. It helped me feel like I wasn't alone.”
“I saw a post about the Red Dress Fun Run and wanted to do it because I'm now back exercising and I thought it would be a great thing to do. It is all-inclusive and for every ability- you can run, jog, walk, whatever suits you which is great. My friend is going to do it with me.”
Ellis continues; “I am taking part in the Red Dress Fun Run and sharing my story to help spread awareness of young stroke and support NICHS. They do so much great work trying to make people aware of stroke, its risk factors and symptoms. I want people to be aware that stroke can strike anybody at any age, even if they are fit and seem perfectly healthy, that’s really important to me. Just because you are young doesn’t mean you are immune to stroke. I never thought it could happen to me, but people need to take their health seriously and get things checked out if there’s something they aren’t happy about.”
“Whenever I had my TIA, my face drooped, and I did instantly think I was having a stroke. On the other hand, however, I also told myself, ‘no, you're 31, you are fit and healthy, you are being ridiculous’ because I had no idea I had a PFO, and it could cause stroke. Many people also don’t know about PFOs, but they are more common than you would think so I want to highlight that too.”
“I was also lucky in a way that I had my stroke in Iceland and had a thrombectomy there because this isn’t available 24/7 in all hospitals here. I don't think that I would be back to my full self if I hadn’t of had that thrombectomy. Nobody times their stroke and people deserve the care they need, when they need it.”
Despite what she has been through, Ellis isn’t letting it hold her back. “Both times I had a stroke I wasn’t in my own country but I'm a person who loves holidays so as soon as I recovered from the PFO closure surgery I was away again! I wasn’t letting stroke hold me back. What happened to me was really hard, but it has also made me appreciate life and the things I can do more.”
Last year, the Red Dress Fun Run raised a staggering £70,000 to support Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke’s work and the charity is once again hoping for a sea of red participants at this year’s event which takes place at Stormont Estate, Belfast, on Sunday 23rd February. Christine Duncan, Events and Marketing Manager at the charity, is urging the public to sign up to the event saying; “We are so grateful to Ellis for sharing her story, raising awareness of stroke and for supporting the Red Dress Fun Run. Sadly, over 40,300 people in our local communities are living with a stroke or TIA and 50% of stroke survivors in Northern Ireland are under 75. NICHS is here to help anyone affected by stroke with expert care and support.”
“So please come run, walk, dance, skip or wheel 5K with us on Sunday 23rd February at Stormont Estate. Together we can help rebuild thousands of lives and make a lasting change towards the health of people in Northern Ireland. Everyone is welcome to come along and join in the fun - even the family pooch!”
The 2025 event is being supported once again by the charity’s long term corporate partners, MACE and Musgrave MarketPlace. Diane Anthony from Musgrave says; “MACE and Musgrave MarketPlace are both backing NICHS’s call for people to dress up in red and take part in this year’s event, which is set to be fantastic. Whether you are taking part in memory of someone you have lost to a chest, heart or stroke disease, are celebrating someone who is living with such a condition, or want to help prevent these diseases affecting someone in the future – sign up and join us to support this worthy cause!”
The charity is also hoping that primary school children across NI will host their own Red Dress Fun Run at school on any day in February or March. Every school that signs up will be entered into a prize draw with a chance of winning a £250 voucher from Podium4Sport to spend on sports gear for their primary school.
You can sign up to the Red Dress Fun Run at www.nichs.org.uk/RedDressFunRun or find out more about getting your primary school involved at www.nichs.org.uk/RedDressPrimary
