A MILL Park mother of four believes she’s still here today thanks to the quick-thinking of her close-knit family.
In the weeks leading up to her stroke, Kruni Delinac had been experiencing severe headaches, andmedication wasn’t helping. On the day of her stroke in July 2019, she was at breaking point.
“My son Tommy walked in the room and said what do you want me to do, and I said call Aunt Lily, she’ll know what to do,” Kruni said.
“When Lily got there, she called an ambulance. At the Austin Hospital, she helped advocate for me.
When scans revealed I’d had a stroke, she continued to stay by my side. I couldn’t believe it, I was only 52.”
“I was having periods where I would fall asleep and when I woke up, I forgot what had happened to me. I couldn’t recognise my own kids, where I was, or how old I was. Lily had to keep telling me I’d had a stroke.”
Doctors discovered Kruni’s stroke was caused by a small hole in her heart, also known as a patent foramen ovale (PFO) which can cause blood clots to form and travel to the brain. Kruni underwent a procedure to close the hole and prevent further strokes.
“Lily is two years younger than me but she’s my absolute rock, my hero. My whole family stood by my side through my stay in hospital, then my recovery and rehabilitation. I’m so grateful for them.”
Kruni is among the 110,000 survivors of stroke living in Victoria. She shared her story during National Stroke Week which ran from August 3 to 9. This year’s theme is “F.A.S.T. heroes” and recognises the everyday champions like Lily, who knew how to recognise a stroke, acted quickly and helped save lives.
Stroke Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Dr Lisa Murphy, says everyone can be a hero by learning and sharing the F.A.S.T. stroke message.
“You don’t need a cape to be a hero, you just need to know the signs of stroke by learning
the F.A.S.T. acronym and calling triple zero (000) when stroke strikes. It can save a life.”
“F is for face- is their face drooping? A is for arms- can they lift both arms? S is for speech- is their speech slurred? And T is for time – time is critical. Call 000 immediately,” Dr Murphy said.
“When a stroke strikes, it attacks up to 1.9 million brain cells per minute so there’s absolutely no time to waste. You must act fast and call triple zero (000) for ambulance to help.”
National Stroke Week is Stroke Foundation’s annual awareness campaign. You can
support the campaign by sharing or creating your own social media post on any platform. Learn and share the F.A.S.T. signs of stroke and call triple zero (000) straight away if you suspect a stroke.