Young stroke survivor Hamish Mills to tackle Sydney’s City2Surf run six months after life-changing medical emergency

Six months ago, a young and healthy Hamish Mills suffered a life-changing stroke.

The medical emergency uncovered a heart defect that the 28-year-old unknowingly had since he was born.

He was left temporarily unable to walk, talk or move one side of his body but has now recovered enough to tackle Sydney’s popular 14km City2Surf this weekend.

He’ll take on the challenge with his partner, Grace Iacobbe, and the pair have raised money for the Stroke Foundation.

But the outcome could have been much worse for the veterinary graduate if not for Iacobbe, who immediately recognised the signs of a stroke.

When it comes to a stroke, every minute counts, Stroke Foundation chief executive Dr Lisa Murphy said.

“Grace’s ability to spot the signs of stroke and act quickly made all the difference,” she said.

The warning signs

Mills had just got back home from the gym in February this year when he complained to Iacobbe, 28, that he was feeling lightheaded.

The couple didn’t think much of it — maybe Mills had just worked out too hard, or stood up too quickly.

The lifelong soccer player decided to have a lie down and with a lingering feeling of unease, Iacobbe decided to check on him just minutes later.

“I went and sat with him, and he started slurring when he was talking,” Iacobbe told 7NEWS.com.au.

“And I said ‘are you trying to talk funny, or you know what’s happening?’.

“He didn’t realise at all that he was slurring.”

One side of Mills’ face started to look droopy and he was struggling to lift his right arm.

Iacobbe immediately recognised Mills’ symptoms as signs of a stroke, but did think twice due to his young age.

“You know, in hindsight, we picked up that they were stroke signs but at the time, for a 28-year-old fit guy, it probably wasn’t an immediate thought,” she said.

Mills was rushed to the Northern Beaches Hospital and then swiftly sent to Royal North Shore, where doctors identified the problem.

At this point, Mills could still talk but it was becoming harder for him to walk.

However, as soon as he arrived at Royal North Shore and was seen by a neurologist, Mills rapidly declined.

“He couldn’t move his whole right side of his body, he was completely slurring and when he was talking, he had nonsensical speech, so he wasn’t making any sense,” Iacobbe said.

“Watching that, I thought there was no real coming back from that and how he was at that time.”

Mills was given anti-clotting medication which worked almost immediately.

It was then discovered Mills had a hole in his heart, which is what led to him having a stroke.

After surgery to fix the defect, Mills underwent rehab and occupational therapy to help get him back to where he started, or as close to.

While Mills has vastly improved physically, Iacobbe said his biggest hidden challenge is something called neurological fatigue.

“He looks physically well to everyone, but he does struggle day to day,” she said.

“He’s just very easily overstimulated with noises and bright lights and things like that.

“Essentially, a brain injury causes that fatigue.”

It’s unclear when or if these symptoms will subside.

Mills has been able to return to work but only for a few hours, a couple of days, a week.

Act F.A.S.T

Stroke Foundation Dr Lisa Murphy said the couple’s story shows just how vital it is for everybody, no matter what age, to know the signs of stroke.

“More than 440,000 Australians are currently living with the effects of stroke, and one in four Australians who experience a stroke every year are under 65,” she said.

The easiest way to determine whether someone is having a stroke is to think about the acronym F.A.S.T (Face, Arms, Speech, Time):

• F - Check the person’s face, has their mouth dropped?
• A - Can the person lift their arms
• S - Is their speech slurred?
• T - Time is of the essence, call triple-0 immediately

To celebrate Mills’ incredible recovery and to help raise awareness about the signs of stroke, he and Iacobbe are taking part in the City2Surf fun run on Sunday.

Coinciding with National Stroke Week, the pair have so far managed to raise over $5000 for the Stroke Foundation.

They don’t have a goal time in mind but instead want to focus on the amazing feat of Mills being able to run at all.

“We don’t really know what to expect, or how hard we’re going to be able to push on the day, but he’s been able to do at least some training and feel good about that,” Iacobbe said.

“If we can even save one life by spreading awareness in people our age that (stroke is) something to look for or something to think about, if you do see someone with those signs, that’s ultimately what we want, is just for people to think or to know that it’s not an age discriminatory disease.”