Irish father says work colleague saved his life after stroke left him speaking gibberish

A father of three from Dublin has credited a work colleague with saving his life after she recognized he was having a stroke during a routine phone call. Kieran O’Carroll, 45, believed he was answering her normally, but his words had turned to gibberish and one side of his face had already dropped by the time she reached his door in County Cavan ten minutes later.

A father of three has told how his life was saved by a work colleague when he suffered a stroke at home.
 
Kieran O’Carroll’s co-worker turned her car around and drove straight to his home in Cavan when she realized something was seriously wrong during a phone call.
 
“Whatever I said was complete gibberish,” said Dublin native Kieran, 45. 
 
“I thought I was replying normally, but it was not coherent at all.

“She later told me that I sounded giddy, almost like a cross between being confused and intoxicated. My words were completely jumbled, but I had no idea anything was wrong. Thankfully, she recognized immediately this was not normal.”
 
The colleague dialed Cavan General Hospital and arrived at his home ten minutes later, when she noticed his face had dropped on one side, and drove him straight to the emergency department.

 
Ahead of World Stroke Day on Thursday (Oct 29), the Irish Heart Foundation has commended Kieran’s colleague for her swift actions, which highlight the importance of recognizing the key signs of stroke.

Kieran O’Carroll.

It has urged people to become familiar with the F.A.S.T. (face, arm, speech, and time) acronym in identifying stroke, which can kill millions of brain cells in minutes.
 
Kieran, who works in a senior role with Fleetwood Paints, suffered an ischemic stroke in April 2022, caused by a small opening between the upper chambers of the heart that failed to close naturally after birth. 
 
It led to a blockage in the middle cerebral artery, cutting off blood supply to his brain.
 
“I wasn’t prepared to lose my independence,” he said.
 
“My three children were my focus that day. I didn’t want my relationship with them to end with me unable to fulfill my responsibilities as a father.”

After ten days in Cavan Hospital, he began an intensive program of occupational and speech therapy in the Mater Hospital and from there went to the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dun Laoghaire. His recovery was complicated by chronic neuro-fatigue and brain fog.
 
Since the stroke, Kieran has had a heart procedure to repair the opening in his heart chambers.
 
After completing the Irish Heart Foundation’s Fatigue Management Course, he received weekly calls from a peer-support volunteer and became a member of its Young Stroke Survivors’ Network, a support community for stroke survivors aged under 65.
 
Consultant Physician and Geriatrician and Chair of the Irish Heart Foundation’s Stroke Council, Dr Rachael Doyle, said time is crucial in limiting the damage that stroke causes.
 
“Recognizing the signs and calling 112 or 999 immediately are important steps as every minute counts,” she said.
 
“Kieran’s experience also highlights how aftercare and support is essential following a serious medical event like stroke.
 
“The Irish Heart Foundation has support services for people living with stroke, their families and carers across the country. These and new events for World Stroke Day can be found on irishheart.ie.”

How to recognize a stroke

The Irish Heart Foundation’s Act F.A.S.T. campaign aims to raise awareness of the signs of stroke and the importance of getting urgent medical attention. The key signs of stroke are:

F = face – The face may have dropped on one side. The person may not be able to smile, or their mouth or eye may have drooped.

A = arms – The person may not be able to lift both arms and keep them raised because of weakness or numbness in one arm.

S = speech – Their speech may be slurred or hard to understand. They may also have problems understanding what you’re saying to them.

T = time – If you experience any of these symptoms, it’s time to dial 112 or 999 for an ambulance. Even one symptom could mean a stroke.