Ever since Tracey Hockey had a stroke in 2016 at the age of 52, she’s been trying to get 18 months of her life back. With the help of her husband Steve and her diary, she’s been able to piece together a snap shot of that time but doesn’t feel a connection to the experience she went through.
At the time of her stroke, Tracey enjoyed an active life with Steve, working as a General Practice Manager at a doctor’s surgery, supporting her adult children and spending quality time with her grandchildren.
After resisting years of vertigo, her body finally began to show signs that something wasn’t right. Six weeks before the attack she started waking in the early hours with severe headaches.
On the day of the stroke, Tracey was at home sitting in her favourite chair when she lost all feeling down her right side and couldn’t move her feet.
“I was home alone when I had the stroke but thanks to my experience working at a doctor’s surgery, I was familiar with the signs and was able to remain calm. Calling Steve who was at work proved to be difficult as I could only mumble down the phone, which meant calling an ambulance was not an option,” said Tracey.
