I felt fidgety and suffered night cramps… then I woke up and couldn’t WALK at just 26

WATCHING Coronation Street, Niamh Foster was overcome with emotion, memories flooding back of the horrifying experience she’d endured two years earlier playing out on her TV screen. Niamh, 28, woke up one day with a drooping face, unable to walk – and looking back she now pinpoints two early warning signs of the deadly emergency she suffered while fast asleep. Niamh Foster felt fidgety and was suffering from night cramps before she was woke up a drooping face and unable to walk Credit: Supplied Niamh suffered from an ischaemic stroke – the most common type Credit: Supplied The aspiring fashion designer had been in good health before suffering a stroke in her sleep in August, 2024. Niamh thinks a fidgety feeling and cramps were the only potential warning signs. Betsy’s Corrie storyline has been written with the help of stroke experts, including young patient Niamh, to raise awareness that it can happen at any age. “Watching Coronation Street has been very emotional,” Niamh tells Sun Health. “It has brought home what I went through, and continue to go through two years on. “I thought it only happened to older people and not when you are young. “It was so tough being in hospital with stroke victims as they were all 50 to 60 years older than me.” Around 85,000 people survive a stroke every year in the UK and many are left with long-term disabilities and health problems. The most common type is ischaemic stroke – suffered by both Niamh and Corrie’s Betsy – which occurs when a blood clot travels towards the brain. The clot blocks blood flow, starving vital brain tissue of oxygen and damaging or killing it. Betsy Swain’s stroke was triggered by damage to a blood vessel in her neck after being strangled (choked) by her boyfriend Dylan Wilson during consensual sex – a cause The Stroke Association says is “rare”. Niamh’s turned out to have been caused by a hole in her heart that doctors had never detected. I thought it only happened to older people and not when you are young, admits Niamh Credit: Supplied Betsy Swain’s storyline on Coronation Street brought back painful memories for Niamh Credit: ITV And it’s surprisingly common – one in four people have a patent foramen ovale (PFO), which is usually harmless and doesn’t show symptoms. On that fateful evening, Niamh remembers feeling uneasy as she tried to get to sleep. “I didn’t feel sick but I felt very fidgety,” she recalls. “I felt very disorientated and I was uncomfortable all night. “At one point, I thought I had cramp on my right side.” Stroke causes weakness in the body, especially on one side, which may have explained Niamh’s symptoms – though cramp is not a recognised symptom in itself. Numbness, confusion and dizziness are also warning signs. Niamh woke up feeling dreadful, adding: “I couldn’t walk properly but managed to clamber to the toilet. Niamh with her boyfriend Reece, who was the one to drive her to London’s Chelsea and Westminster hospital Credit: Supplied Niamh, pictured after her stroke, with her mum Bernadette Credit: Supplied “I looked in the mirror and the right side of my face was completely drooped. “Even then, I didn’t think I’d had a stroke.” Worried boyfriend Reece, now 29, drove her to London’s Chelsea and Westminster hospital, where doctors used CT and MRI scans to figure out what was wrong. Niamh says: “My speech was completely off and I couldn’t even tell them my name or date of birth but I felt strangely calm. “After my scans, the doctors told me I’d had a stroke. “When I heard the word I was in disbelief. I burst into tears because it was such an awful shock. “Reece was crying too. It was hard to process.” Doctors decided not to operate to remove the clot, due to the risk of further bleeding, and put Niamh on blood-thinners. Niamh spent 10 days in hospital before moving back home to her parents’ in Leicestershire to recover Credit: Supplied FAST: Know how to spot a stroke F – Face drooping. Has the person’s face fallen on one side or can they not smile?A – Arm weakness. Can they raise both arms and keep them there? One arm may drift downward or feel numb.S – Speech difficulty. Is their speech slurred, are they confused or are they unable to speak?T – Time to call 999. Call emer She spent 10 days in hospital before moving back home to her parents’ in Leicestershire to recover. “Amazingly, I was able to stand up and walk again, 48 hours after my stroke,” says Niamh. “But I was having a lot of problems getting words out properly. “Like Betsy said ‘marbles’ and ‘paper’ instead of dinner, I remember my sisters asking me what I’d eaten one evening and instead of mac and cheese, I told them ‘Mary Kate and Ashley’ [Olsen twins].” At hospital and at home, for around six months, Niamh had physiotherapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy – which aims to improve skills at everday tasks. Surgeons operated in March last year to repair the hole in her heart. She still has occupational therapy once a week and struggles with fatigue and some leg weakness, but has moved back to London with Reece and got a job with the Stroke Association charity. Niamh said: “The fatigue continues to be tough. Initially, I’d only be able to go for about five hours before needing a nap. STROKE STATISTICS There are 1.4 million stroke survivors living in the UK today Over 85,000 people survive a stroke every year in the UK One in four strokes happen to people of working age Several hundred children a year have a stroke Niamh has now moved back to London with Reece and got a job with the Stroke Association charity Credit: Supplied “I still need to shut my eyes for ten minutes or so in the afternoons and I struggle with my words, especially when I’m tired. “When I walk, my right foot scrapes along the floor if I am tired. “I used to love socialising but now I am just too tired to go out most evenings. “It’s not a quick fix but I can’t thank my family and boyfriend enough – they’ve been my rocks.” Through her work with the Stroke Association, Niamh advised Coronation Street writers and actress Sydney Martin – who plays Betsy – on portraying the story. She adds: “I spoke to them about the invisible difficulties, how my family felt and how it felt in hospital. “I hope it will help other young sufferers.” Juliet Bouverie, CEO at the Stroke Association, said: “As one of the most iconic and longest-running soap operas in the world, we commend Coronation Street for taking on this storyline. “[Betsy’s] experience powerfully shows that a stroke can happen at any age, and its impact can be devastating. “Recovery can be long, complex and life-changing. “We hope that Betsy’s story will help raise awareness of stroke among viewers, including younger audiences.” If you have been affected by Betsy’s stroke storyline, visit www.stroke.org.uk