Erin had a stroke in April 2012, aged 29. Erin had felt dizzy during the day and when she got home from work, she says, 'there was a contained explosion in my head.'
How the Stroke Association helped Erin
For the first few years after Erin was hospitalised, she didn't realise that her haemorrhage was a stroke. When she did, she turned to the Stroke Association and felt accepted immediately.
'When I called the Stroke Association Helpline, I was having difficulties coping with a lot of things. It was a friendly voice at the other end of the phone. They helped me accept that this has happened to me and this is now who I am. It's like mourning for the person you were. In accepting the new me, I had to accept my limitations, as well as my strengths.'
Erin now volunteers for the Stroke Association, using her experience as a stroke survivor and feeding her passion for raising awareness of stroke.
'It's more important than ever to donate to the Stroke Association so that we can continue to do all the amazing things that we do. Stroke is not given the priority that it deserves. Stroke is on the increase and we need so much more help, so many more resources and also so much more research."
Please donate today if you can.