GAA star Siobhan tells of her experience suffering a stroke

FOUR-TIME All-Ireland winning footballer and Thomas Davis GAA Club player Siobhan McGrath has shared her experience of suffering a stroke last year.

The 35-year-old sportswoman initially thought she was feeling the effects of a tough training session, but swiftly realised something far more serious was occurring.

In June last year, Siobhan woke up feeling confused and found that she was suddenly struggling to complete basic tasks, like getting dressed and switching off her house alarm.

“In my mind, I knew what the correct code [for the house alarm] was, but it was as if my body wouldn’t let me enter it into the keypad,” she explained.

“I remembered the FAST TV adverts informing people about the signs of stroke. I looked in the mirror, and my face wasn’t drooping on one side.

“I tried to tell myself, ‘You’re not having a stroke’, but the words didn’t come.

“I started to speak, but simple sentences sounded like double Dutch.

“It was at that moment that I decided to phone my mum – but it took a few attempts before she could understand what I was trying to say.”

FAST is an acronym for the key warning signs of a stroke: Facial drooping, Arm weakness, Slurred speech and, crucially, the importance of Time to speedily secure medical help.

Following an MRI and a series of tests, Siobhan’s stroke was confirmed, and she spent a week in Tallaght University Hospital.

She has returned to work as an accountant and is now back playing for Thomas Davis and, aside from some problems with vocabulary, she feels she has made a full recovery.

“Thanks to the FAST message, I knew I needed to get help,” she said.

“If you recognise any one of the signs, get medical help immediately.

“No one is invincible. I’m lucky that I had my family and boyfriend minding me.”

FAST is being highlighted by the Irish Heart Foundation, for which Siobhan is an ambassador, in their recently launched ‘Act FAST – Minutes Matter’ campaign.

Siobhan is now encouraging more people to familiarise themselves with the signs of stroke.

Irish Heart Foundation research reveals that the percentage of people who recognise the signs of one of Ireland’s biggest killers is declining, with just one in 10 knowing what all four letters stand for.

Stroke kills two million brain cells every minute, so the quicker patients get medical help, the more that can be saved.