HORROR ORDEAL
Boy who ‘fell over in English class and pulled a funny face’ struck by a killer stroke at just 15
Joe is still dealing with the aftermath at 30 years old
AS Joe Marchant packed his bags up at the end of his English lesson in 2009, the then 15-year-old suddenly collapsed to the floor.
His classmates burst out laughing thinking he had fallen over his bag, just moments before his friend asked: 'Why are you pulling a funny face?'
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What no one realised as Joe lay on the floor, also unable to speak, was that Joe was having a stroke –something that happens to 100,000 people in the UK every year.
It was only 20 or so minutes later when the paramedics arrived at his secondary school in Oxshott that the same friend took a closer look and realised the ‘tell-tale’ warning sign that Joe’s face had, by now, completely drooped.
“I had been feeling perfectly fine all day,” says Joe, now 30, a roofer, as he recalls the terrifying experience to mark World Stroke Day.
“We’d just finished our English class and as I looked towards my left, my friend said: ‘why are you pulling that face?’
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“The next thing I knew I’d collapsed to the floor unable to speak or move on the right side of my body.
“Everyone was laughing at me as I lay there as they initially thought I’d fallen over my school bag.
“But once the teacher called for an ambulance, they stopped as they realised the severity of the situation. I felt very scared and terrified as I didn’t know what was happening.
“When the paramedics arrived, they first treated me for low blood levels with an injection but that just made me throw up.
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“It was then that my friend pointed out the droop on my face after seeing the ‘Act FAST’ adverts on the TV.
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“As soon as the paramedics looked at my face, you could see the realisation in their eyes. They instantly told me they feared I was having a stroke.”
By now, Joe’s devastated parents had rushed to be by his side as he was taken to a nearby hospital in Epsom.
Doctors quickly confirmed their worst fears that he had, indeed, suffered a stroke at just 15 years old.
“Nobody in my family had ever had a stroke,” says Joe. “I was absolutely terrified as I was so young.
“Whilst I was aware of people having strokes, I thought it was only older people who could have them. My poor parents were beside themselves with worry.
“I remember lying there unable to say anything and my whole right side was numb. I couldn’t move and it felt like I’d been cut in half.”
A leading cause of death
Stroke occurs every five minutes in the UK.
Stroke accounts for around 75 per cent of deaths from cerebrovascular disease, which is one of the leading causes of death in the UK.
While it does typically affect older adults, the Stroke Association says it is rising among young people.
In 2013/14, the percentage of stroke patients under 60 years was 14.2 per cent, which rose to 15.9 per cent in 2022/23.
The reasons for this are unclear, the charity says, and there are no identified stroke risk factors specific to young people.
Unable to speak or move
A few days after his stroke, Joe was transferred to St George’s Hospital in Tooting where he was cared for by the ‘amazing’ NHS doctors.
“When they confirmed it was a stroke, it was obviously a shock but I also felt relieved they knew what it was,” he explains.
Initially, Joe couldn’t move his right leg, arm, or speak.
But within a couple of weeks, movement in his leg returned and he started to utter words.
I can remember crying out of frustration and as you can imagine, I also felt terrified still that I would have another stroke. It was a scary time.
Joe
“My parents sat on my bed asking me questions trying to get me to speak and eventually I managed to utter the word ‘yes’," Joe says.
“I was trying so hard to say other words but only that one came out. It was incredibly frustrating.”
Thankfully, however, it didn’t take too long for his speech to improve as did more movement and he was given intensive physio sessions to learn how to walk again.
“Within a month I was walking,” he recalls, smiling.
“I was pleased I managed to pick it up so quickly and quite a bit of movement returned in my arm too.”
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Joe left hospital five weeks after his stroke first happened in January 2009 and in some respects, his recovery was quick.
Miraculously by March, he was able to go on a ski trip with his family to France - but was only able to ski using one pole in his left hand.
He faced an uphill mountain when it came to speaking and writing, as he had to learn to write with his left hand.
“I struggled with word association and that took a while,” he explains. “The sessions were draining though and I can remember sleeping a lot.
“But by far and away the hardest thing for me was the fact I was right-handed. I had always played tennis every day with my friends and suddenly, I was no longer able to do this anymore.
“I also had to learn to write with my left hand as I had my GCSEs looming.
“I can remember crying out of frustration and as you can imagine, I also felt terrified still that I would have another stroke. It was a scary time.”
Thankfully, over the next year, Joe made a great recovery and passed his GCSEs before going to sixth form, and then joining his family’s Marwell Roofing firm in Cobham, where he still works.
“In a way, roofing became part of my therapy in my recovery,” he admits. “I have had to use my leg and arm and it’s helped me a lot mentally.
“I also started and still go to the gym five times a week.
“Over the years, I have started to worry less about it happening again and today, I feel fit and strong. I don’t worry anymore.”
He says he still, however, has difficulties using his right hand.
“I never got full control of my hand back,” he explains.
“I can swing a hammer but I have finger movement difficulties, so I can’t hold a pen. I have a special way of doing up my shoelaces too and I struggle when I meet new people.
“My right-hand tenses up when it comes to shaking hands and I have a funny handshake!"
Now engaged to his fiancée, Brittany, Joe has linked up with, a charity set up by Nick Ede, to raise awareness about strokes occurring in young people.
The foundation has now partnered with Scamp & Dude to create a limited-edition unisex sweatshirt. For every sweatshirt sold, £12 will be donated to Style for Stroke Foundation.
Joe says: “It is really nice to be able to help raise awareness by sharing my story today. The work the foundation does is amazing.
“A stroke can sadly happen to anyone – not just older people.
“Yes I had a stroke at 15 but I don’t see it as a bad memory now. It is part of my life story.”
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*If you would like to purchase a sweatshirt with £12 donated to the Style for Stroke Foundation, go to: .
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What are the symptoms of stroke?
The FAST method – which stands for Face, Arms, Speech, Time – is the easiest way to remember the most common symptoms of stroke:
F = Face drooping - if one side of a person's face is dropped or numb then ask them to smile, if it's uneven then you should seek help.
A = Arm weakness - if one arm is weak or numb then you should ask the person to raise both arms. If one arm drifts downwards then you might need to get help
S = Speech difficulty - if a person's speech is slurred then this could be a sign of a stroke
T = Time to call 999 - if a person has the signs above then you need to call 999 in the UK or 911 in the US for emergency care.
Other symptoms include:
- sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body
- difficulty finding words
- sudden blurred vision or loss of sight
- sudden confusion, dizziness or unsteadiness
- a sudden and severe headache
- difficulty understanding what others are saying
- difficulty swallowing
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