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“After my stroke, I was unable to imagine a future. But when I was feeling at my most disheartened, Beth from Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke stepped into my life.”
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Dear Una, Four years ago, Deborah was a happy, healthy 43-year-old mum, working as a Ward Manager at Craigavon Hospital. She loved her job, kept herself fit and had no reason to worry about her health. Then, without warning, everything changed. Deborah suffered two strokes caused by a hole in her heart. Read Deborah's story below.
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“It was a bank holiday weekend, and I was getting on with my usual routine. I had a shower but when I stepped out, I realised my left side wasn’t coming with me. My face felt numb. My arm hung dead at my side. And in that moment, my nurse’s instinct knew immediately: I’d had a stroke.” Deborah called an ambulance herself, knowing every minute mattered. But after arriving at hospital, she faced more challenges. She later learned she hadn't received the full clot-busting treatment within the crucial four-hour window, and after days of uncertainty, an MRI confirmed she had suffered a stroke. Her ordeal still wasn’t over. Just six weeks into her recovery, Deborah suffered a second stroke – a devastating blow. She remembers saying to her husband: "Just get me a palliative care package. I'm just going to lie in bed here and die." The fear of another stroke left Deborah feeling overwhelmed and unable to imagine what the future would look like.
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Then she met Beth from Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke.
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Beth listened, reassured Deborah that her feelings were normal, and helped her access the support she needed. Through our Family Support Service and PREP rehabilitation programme, Deborah slowly began rebuilding her confidence, strength and hope. Today, she's back at work, back at the gym and giving back as one of our Community Ambassadors.
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Deborah says: "The truth is, NICHS helped give me my life back."
And she wants you to know that your kindness can do the same for someone else. Almost 90% of Northern Ireland Chest Heart & Stroke's work is funded by donations from people like you. A typical donation of £20 can help ensure NICHS can keep delivering life changing support to people facing chest, heart and stroke conditions across Northern Ireland. Deborah says, “One of the things that gives me so much hope is knowing that NICHS is investing even more in the emotional wellbeing of people like me. They are introducing their new ACTivate Your Life psychological skills programme. It will help stroke, chest and heart survivors understand their thoughts, manage anxiety and rebuild confidence in a really practical, gentle way. It is support that truly changes lives." You can find out more about Activate Your Life here. Please donate today and help someone like Deborah find hope after stroke.
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Your support today could be the reason someone begins to believe there is life after stroke. Thank you for caring. Warm wishes, The NICHS Team
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Registered Charity Number: NIC 103593 and Company Registration No: NI 18889
21 Dublin Road, Belfast, BT2 7HB
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