"David O'Donnell from Ballina in Co Tipperary said the alarm was raised by his parents when they found their then two-and-a-half-year-old son could not speak or move the right side of his body as he lay in his cot. "Doctors had no explanation of a child this young coming in with a stroke and told my parents this.They couldn't find any clear reason.""
"However, he is now active in helping others who have also had a stroke and is part of the Irish Heart Foundation's free Patent Champions group providing support. Around 7,500 people suffer a stroke annually sustaining a brain injury and happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted, potentially damaging millions of brain cells and causing disability. David brings the benefit of his experience and also his studies having a BA in Psychology and he is now working for his master's degree."
David O'Donnell experienced a stroke at two-and-a-half that left him unable to speak and with paralysis on the right side. Doctors initially had no explanation; a paediatric neurologist later linked the stroke to an unknown virus. He spent time in University Hospital Limerick and almost a month in Crumlin Children's Hospital in Dublin. Persistent right-side weakness affected his walking and right hand and caused psychological challenges during primary school. He now volunteers with the Irish Heart Foundation's Patient Champions group, applies his BA in Psychology, and is studying for a master's while providing peer support to others. Around 7,500 people suffer a stroke annually, often causing long-term brain injury and disability.
Read at Irish Independent
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]