'Superfit' man, 30, suddenly suffers stroke in the shower and could be paralyzed for rest of his life
A 30-year-old man's life completely changed after suffering a stroke.
Liam Rudd and his girlfriend, Stella Slinger Thompson, 28, were fulfilling their shared 'dream' of moving to the Gold Coast in Australia, and Liam had been 'excited' to start his new job as a fleet mechanic last month.
However, Liam suffered from a stroke in the shower and fell to the bathroom floor paralyzed on Sunday, November 11, before Stella found him.
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After being rushed to hospital, he had two rounds of emergency surgery to remove blood clots in his brain and was put in an induced coma.
Doctors haven't confirmed what caused the stroke but think it may be linked to a fibroelastoma, a benign tumour that can grow on the heart valves.
Stella was due to meet Liam for lunch with friends on the Sunday in question and became concerned when he wasn't answering his phone.
After finding him lying on the bathroom floor, she called an ambulance.
Recalling the day it happened, Stella said: "He was late picking me up. Usually he is a bit late so I didn't think much of it. But I was calling him for over an hour. I would call then it would ring and it would pick up and decline.
"I thought 'this is odd'. Then finally after an hour he picked up. He wasn't making any sense. All I could make out was him saying 'help'. So I rushed round and also called three of his friends."
At first, everyone believed he had a concussion, but things quickly deteriorated.
Liam became unresponsive on his left side and after arriving at the hospital, doctors revealed he'd had a stroke and needed emergency surgery to remove a blood clot in his brain.
However, during surgery, doctors found a second blood clot that was too 'high risk' to operate on immediately and he had to have a second surgery the next day.
Now Stella and Liam are having to put their Australia dreams on hold and return back to the UK for Liam to receive the care he needs.
His girlfriend has set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to help them get home. The pair hope to return Down Under once Liam has made a full recovery.
His intensive rehabilitation is expected to last for at least a year and a half.
While doctors are optimistic about his recovery, Liam's future isn't clear.
"We don't know what's going to happen," admitted Stella.
"He could be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Who knows at this stage. It's a lot of living in limbo and trying to stay positive but not really knowing anything."
Niamh Shackleton