'I thought I was being dramatic and took some paracetamol but then I collapsed at work'

A young mum who had a stroke at just 29 has shared her story to make others aware that it can happen at any age.

Jess Tierney from Runcorn, Cheshire, who thought she was being "dramatic" before she collapsed at work due to a stroke, says she is lucky to be alive. She wants everyone, especially younger people, to know that strokes can happen to anyone, no matter their age.

At first, the ambulance crew thought her problem might be a panic attack or Bell's palsy, which makes one side of your face weak. But then, a scan showed there was a blockage on her brain.

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The mother-of-two had an operation to take out the clot at a special hospital that provides the service 24 hours a day, one of only a few in England that can do this.

Mrs Tierney, who works in teaching recruitment, says she didn't have the usual risk factors that make strokes more likely. She wasn't overweight, she kept fit, and she didn't smoke.

She spoke about the morning in February when she felt pain in her shoulder on the way to work. She thought it was just sore from her pole fitness class.

Later, during lunch, she got a headache and couldn't feel one side of her mouth and tongue. She said: "I was eating my dinner and started developing a headache in my temples

"I took some paracetamol and it wouldn't go away. At about 2.30pm, I collapsed. It was a good job I wasn't at home alone."

After being rushed to the hospital, she had to wait until 7.30pm for a CT scan which showed a blood clot. Another scan at 8pm revealed a blockage in her brain.

By this time, Mrs Tierney was told she was "outside the window" for thrombolysis, a treatment that breaks up a clot and is usually given within four-and-a-half hours of stroke symptoms first appearing.

Another treatment, known as a thrombectomy, which surgically removes blood clots from the artery, is typically performed within six hours of symptoms appearing, but can be extended to 24 hours in certain patients.

She said: "We were waiting quite a while. At this point, I'd been told I had a clot on my brain so I was quite scared."

She was then moved to The Walton Centre, a specialist neurology facility at Aintree University Hospital in Liverpool.

Mrs Tierney told PA that Dr Souhyb Masri, a consultant interventional neuroradiologist at the centre, "fought her corner" when her treatment options were being discussed. She added: "He said the thrombectomy would be the best outcome as I was 29."

Dr Masri said: "Whenever someone experiences a stroke, getting it treated in the right way quickly is of paramount importance. Jess having the procedure means she can rehabilitate as best she can, and I'm confident she will continue to recover well."

In October 2021, The Walton Centre became the first facility in the North West to offer thrombectomies to stroke patients 24/7 and it has since carried out almost 400 procedures.

Jess praised the "amazing" staff at The Walton Centre. She said: "I could have died or it could have been life-changing. It's actually quite scary to think if it wasn't on my doorstep what would have happened."

Following surgery, she said: "I woke up and I couldn't really feel my right side. I'm managing it better, you start adapting your life around that."

"I have physio about three to four times a week. I have to use a walking stick and can do a few steps, but then I have to use a wheelchair."

Speaking of the moment she was told she had had a stroke, Mrs Tierney said: "I went into shock and got a bit upset. I still haven't really processed it now, to be honest."

According to the NHS, you are more likely to have a stroke if you are over the age of 55, although one in five occurs in younger people.

Mrs Tierney admitted she thought she was "being dramatic" when her symptoms materialised, but stressed: "If you get constant headaches I used to just get checked. Better to be safe than sorry."

Following the stroke, Jess has also been told she has a hole in her heart. She said: "Because I'm a young stroke, I'm not overweight, I'm fit and healthy, they checked everything.

"They did a test where they put a camera down my throat and found it. did a test where they put a camera down my throat and found it.

"They think the clot was in my blood, has gone to my heart, through the hole and to my brain."

Mrs Tierney said her husband David, 39, has "handled it so well". The couple have two sons, James, 11, and Max, six.

Mr Tierney is planning a walk up Mount Snowdon in Wales with other families touched by stroke to raise money for The Walton Centre later this year.

And Mrs Tierney is keen to do her bit too, saying: "That's my goal".

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