Family's shock after eight-year-old daughter has stroke

A mother from County Down has spoken of her shock after her eight-year-old daughter had a stroke.

Naomi Graham from Annalong, County Down, was attending a youth club in Kilkeel in February when she collapsed.

Parents Ruth and Gareth Graham rushed to the youth club and took Naomi in a car to Daisy Hill Hospital in Newry.

"She wasn't really responding to us, her eyes were rolling in the back of her head and she had vomited a few times in our car," Mrs Graham said.

"When we got to hospital you could see one side of her face wasn't working, she was clenching her arm and she couldn't move.

"I remember saying to Gareth: 'I think that looks like a stroke' and he just looked at me and said: 'Ruth, she's eight, it's not a stroke' and we sort of brushed that aside."

Mrs Graham told BBC News NI she distinctly remembered being in the hospital and doctors asking her daughter a number of questions.

"They asked her questions like where she was and who she was with," she said.

"I thought they were quite silly questions initially because how do you not know where you are when you're in a hospital, but she looked at Gareth and she didn't know him.

"She didn't know her dad, and she didn't know me."

Naomi was then transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast for an MRI scan.

After three days in hospital, Ruth and Gareth were told that Naomi had indeed had a stroke and may never regain full function of one side of her body.

"It was a complete shock, I had never heard of an eight-year-old having a stroke," Mrs Graham said.

"Gareth's mum had had a stroke before, my maternal grandmother had a number of strokes, so it's not that a stroke was something new to us, but a childhood stroke was something that was unheard of.

"Especially because Naomi was such a fit, active and sporty little girl - she played football, hockey and gymnastics.

"We never thought it could happen and it was just such a shock to us."

Mrs Graham said the only thing she could think of in terms of a warning sign for Naomi's stroke was she had complained about a slight sore head the night before, but by the morning was feeling fine again.

Alasdair O'Hara, director of the Stroke Association in Northern Ireland, said the average age for someone to have a stroke in the UK was 76 years old, but it could happen at any age.

"Strokes in children are far less common than older adults, but in the UK alone, there are about 400 childhood strokes per year," he said.

"Symptoms of a stroke in children can vary from a sudden headache, blurred vision, dizziness, being uneasy on your feet to memory loss."

Mr O'Hara said it is important to always remember the FAST acronym, if anyone, of any age, has a stroke.

Mrs Graham praised the medical teams who treated Naomi and also commended their family, close friends and church community for being there for them throughout.

The family said their Christian faith was a huge help throughout Naomi's stroke and subsequent rehabilitation.

Both their family and doctors have been very impressed with her progress.

"She lost all the power down her right-hand side, she lost function on one side of her face, she couldn't speak and she couldn't eat," Mrs Graham said.

Mrs Graham said throughout all the speech therapy, physiotherapy and occupational therapy, Naomi still managed to smile and keep her spirits up.

She is now able to speak and has regained enough mobility to be able to walk again with the use of an AFO (ankle foot orthosis) splint.

Mrs Graham said Naomi was making steady progress and was hoping to return to school in the near future.

"We do believe that this whole process has and is making her stronger, she is having to face things that a lot of children will never have to face," her mum said.

"Even though she still has such a long way to go, she is still Naomi and her beautiful personality just shines through.

"There have been so many painful moments, with plenty of tears, but she just sees the positives, she just takes everything one day at a time."