Michelle Goodier

We had no idea that it could happen to children. He was three, almost four, and he woke up in the night feeling sick, and we thought it was just a childhood illness, so we cleaned him up and he slept with me, very heavily.

When we woke him he was semi-conscious, drowsy and sleepy. We were getting worried, and we rang the doctor, and between the call and the doctor arriving he deteriorated and was staggering around. The doctor took one look at him and decided to get him to hospital. No one had a clue what was wrong with him.

The doctors thought it was encephalitis, then he went for an MRI scan, and later an angeogram. He had the stroke on October 12th, and we didn't get the exact diagnosis until Christmas. It was a relief - at least we knew what it was then.

He was paralysed down the right side of his body, and he was as helpless as a new-born baby. A social worker put us in touch with a specialist brain injury unit. My husband and I learnt the techniques, and we worked hard with him every day. The therapy was intensive. I spent every minute of every hour working on him. He was only three, so I had to make it fun - we'd play games all the time. I'd dip his right hand in chocolate spread, and ask him to lick it off!

The therapy helped him enormously. It took four or five weeks before we saw any sign of recovery; when we saw the tiniest sign of movement, it was amazing.

I'd say to anyone in this position that they have to stay positive. We always told him that we'd get him better, even though we never knew. He never saw us distraught, it wouldn't have been fair for him to see that.

Nowadays, he's very active, very chatty. He's sociable and has lots of friends, and is so easy-going - he's a real charmer and very caring. Now he has weakness on the right hand side of his body, but he can play tennis and run and walk. A year after it happened he started mainstream school. We were determined that he would do that.

He's won a national Child of Achievement award and a Life After Stroke award too. We're very proud of him.

Experiences of stroke

Susie Honour

Susie's husband John suffered a stroke when he was 59

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