Having had a stroke and lost his job within a week, Adrian Day is now committed to showing others there is hope even during the bleakest of times.
The 61-year-old had a stroke in May last year, during the height of the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, and only days later was told he would be made redundant.
But after a difficult year, Adrian is now looking to the future after making strong progress in his rehabilitation, and is determined to walk his daughter down the aisle on her wedding day in 2023.
“I’ve never felt depressed, or asked myself, ‘Why me?’ I actually consider myself lucky as haemorrhagic stroke kills more often than not but I’m still around to tell my story,” says Adrian.
“I’m also still here for my wife and daughters and I hope all of that brings inspiration and hope to other stroke survivors.”
It was while at home during COVID lockdown that Adrian began to realise something was not right, when he felt light-headed and could no longer feel his left arm or leg.
His wife noticed a slight droop in his face and called 999, explaining she suspected Adrian was having a stroke.
“The ambulance was on the drive in ten minutes. I was conscious and lucid throughout the stroke and I gave the paramedics as much information as possible on our way to hospital,” recalls Adrian, from Warrington.
A CT scan soon revealed Adrian’s stroke had been caused by a bleed on the brain and he would spend three days in Whiston hospital before being transferred to Warrington hospital.
But just one week after this, Adrian received devastating news about his job as an international development manager.
“On May, exactly one week after my stroke, and still paralysed, my boss emailed me to say that I would be redundant from May 31,” he says.
“The world was at the start of a global pandemic, the UK was in lockdown, I had suffered a stroke, I was paralysed and had just lost my job – I couldn’t believe what was happening.”
But despite two life-changing events in the space of a few days, Adrian has stayed determined in his recovery and getting his life back on track.
He began intensive sessions of physio and occupational therapy, while setting himself the goal of walking out of hospital by his 61st birthday.
Now back at home and continuing his rehabilitation, Adrian wants to show others that there is hope after stroke.
“Whilst I accept that I wont be the person I was before the stroke, I’m determined that it won’t be the final chapter in my life,” he says.
“I want to get another job, I’ve even had a few interviews and I want to drive again too.
“I knew life for me was going to be very different from now on. I was worrying about being unemployed and looking after my family.
Adrian and his family have been supported by The Stroke Association in being able to rebuild their lives.
“The Stroke Association spoke to my wife Carol, drafted a letter to my former employer and put me in touch with Citizens Advice,” says Adrian.
“They also offered me the opportunity to talk. They were sympathetic, they listened, offered advice and it helped, it really did.”
