Stroke Recovery NSW are pushing for a local stroke recovery club to be set up in Port Macquarie

Headed by Port Macquarie resident and stroke survivor Amy Jennings, an morning tea focused on gauging interest has been organised for July 4 at the Westport Club.

“I was an accountant working for an accounting firm in Tuncurry; work was my life, but that all changed in an instant when I had my stroke in 2013,” Ms Jennings said.

“I was only 32 and I had a brain hemorrhage due to an arteriovenous malformation (AVM).

“I was getting ready for work at the time and was very lucky I was able to ring my husband just before I lost consciousness, I had to be airlifted to John Hunter Hospital where I had brain surgery. 

“I was lucky to survive.”

According to the Stroke Recovery Association it is predicted that one in six Australian’s will experience a stroke in their lifetime equating to more than 1000 people each week.

Ms Jenning’s story is just one of the many stories stroke survivors could tell, and she is wanting other survivors to come forward to help others. 

“I was born with the AVM but unfortunately I’d never had any reason to have a brain scan,” she said.

“If I had it would have been picked up and could have been operated on to remove it.

“But because I didn’t, the brain damage resulted in me loosing all movement in my right side and I lost all speech.

“In an instant your life changes and for me it has been a long journey with my rehabilitation.

“Five years on I still do regular speech therapy and physiotherapy.

“Difficulty with my speech is my main challenge, I have a condition called aphasia which causes difficulty finding words and reading essentially it means loss of language, not intelligence.”

She said that since her stroke she has found out a lot more about strokes and talking about her experiences with those who have been where she has really helped her.

“I didn’t know a lot about strokes, my grandfather had one many years ago, but it was a different type of stroke.

“It is amazing what the brain does, it controls everything you do and if you end up with brain damage like I did you loose the ability to do many things.

“Getting a stroke recovery club in Port Macquarie would be great, it will be fantastic to meet people and their carers who have been through similar experiences that I have.

“As a club we can do many activities which will provide a really great atmosphere of inclusiveness.”

Ms Jennings said that stroke is the biggest cause of disability in Australia and that you can learn a lot from people who have also had a stroke.

“I’ve learnt so much from people I’ve met, it has helped me greatly in my rehabilitation and on how to make living with a disability easier.

“I have met many great friends since I had my stroke who suffer from a brain injury just like I have.

“So I would encourage people to come along to the information morning tea, we will be talking about the benefits of stroke clubs and I’ll talk about my experience with having a stroke and suffering from aphasia.”

The morning tea is free to attend and registrations can be made by calling 1300 650 594.