Four-time All-Ireland winner Siobhán McGrath has revealed how she thought a stroke she suffered was little more than the after-effects of a rigorous club run-out
When we think about somebody having a stroke, a fit and healthy thirty-something athlete is probably the last person that comes to mind. But that’s exactly what happened to 35-year-old Siobhán McGrath in June 2022.
The former Dublin player said she felt exhausted on the day of the brain attack – but blamed her aches and pains on a training session from the night before.
The half-back woke up feeling confused, with simple tasks such as putting on a t-shirt, opening a window and sending an e-mail more complicated than usual.
But it was when she struggled to switch off her house alarm, despite knowing the code, that she knew something was seriously wrong.
Siobhán, who also works as an accountant, said: “In my mind, I knew what the correct code was, but it was as if my body wouldn’t let me enter it into the keypad. I remembered the F.A.S.T. TV adverts informing people about the signs of stroke. I looked in the mirror and my face wasn’t drooping on one side.
“I started to speak, but simple sentences sounded like double Dutch. It was at that moment that I decided to phone my mum – but it took a few attempts before she could understand what I was trying to say.”
The importance of acting FAST
An ‘Act F.A.S.T. – Minutes Matter’ campaign by the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) is highlighting stroke’s key warning signs – Facial drooping, Arm weakness, Slurred speech and the crucial importance of Time to get medical help if any of these signs are apparent.
Siobhán, an ambassador for the charity, is now encouraging more people to familiarise themselves with the signs as IHF research shows that only one in 10 know what all four letter stand for.
Stroke is one of Ireland’s biggest killers, destroying two million brain cells every minute, so the quicker patients get medical help, the more than can be saved.
Thankfully, for Siobhán, knowing the signs and the F.A.S.T message, has resulted in her making a full recovery, apart from a few vocabulary problems. She has returned to work and is back playing for her club, Thomas Davis in Tallaght.
“If you recognise any one of the signs, get medical help immediately,” she advised. “No one is invincible. I’m lucky that I had my family and boyfriend minding me.”
Hope for the future
The HSE’s National Clinical Lead for Stroke, Professor Rónán Collins, said: “Nothing is more likely to suddenly change your life completely, or end it, as a stroke – but it doesn’t always have to be the case.
“We have made great strides in improved diagnosis, treatment and cure and in restoring people to fuller lives after stroke.
“But the faster we recognise and seek treatment, the greater the chance of a successful outcome. Know the common signs and symptoms of stroke and if you suspect stroke, act F.A.S.T. and call an ambulance immediately.”
Learn more about stroke at: irishheart.ie/campaigns/fast/
