A ten-year-old boy saved his mother from possible debilitating after effects when she suffered a stroke at home.

Thanks to Jack Randall's quick action and a ground-breaking procedure from the stroke team at St George's Hospital, Nichola Randall has made a miraculous recovery. 

Nichola, 44, collapsed her home in February during half term when, luckily, her two children were in the house.

The mother from Yateley, Hampshire, said: “I felt like I had a bad headache.

“I thought of going for a drive with the kids to help ease it.

“I’m so glad I decided to stay at home because I would have been driving at the time of the stroke.”

While she was doing the dishes her left side started to go numb.

She said: “My legs went to jelly.

“My left arm started swinging around.

“I called my son and then I just collapsed.

“He wanted to call an ambulance but I didn’t think I needed one.

“I didn’t in a million years think I was have a stroke.”

Her son Jack tried the neighbours but no one was home and then rang family friend Andrew.

It was not until Andrew arrived that Nichola understood she was suffering something very serious.

With the help of Jack and Andrew, an ambulance arrived and took Nichola to her local hospital, Frimley Park Hospital, with a suspected stroke.

By the time she arrived at Frimley Park, Nichola was paralysed down the left side of her body and could barely speak.

The decision was made to transfer Nichola to St George’s for specialist stroke treatment.

She underwent a mechanical thrombectomy almost immediately after arriving at St George’s.

This procedure involves inserting a catheter into a major blood vessel in the groin that travels up to the brain to remove the blood clot while conscious.

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Mum Nichola and son Jack

Nichola believes the after effects of the stroke would have been “much worse” without Jack’s “persistence and calm”.

Recovery after strokes hugely depends on how quickly they are treated; clot busting medication needs to be administered within a four and a half hour window and a mechanical thrombectomy within six.

The ground-breaking surgery, which the NHS is investing millions in, allowed her to leave the hospital in a week.

She said: “The result was instantaneous and I had significant feeling down my left side again and could speak more clearly.”

Six months later, Nichola has made a full recovery with only a slight weakness in her left arm.

She said: “I owe so much to so many people and wish to express my gratitude.

“The quick actions of my son and of all the medical staff undoubtedly saved my life and prevented any long lasting effects.”

Jack is still very worried about his mum after the whole ordeal.

Nichola said: “He keeps asking me do I have my phone with me. He says: ‘Don’t forget to bring your phone if you’re going upstairs.”

Although Nichola, who is a foster carer, was calm at the time, she said: “It’s really weird talking about it now.

“At the time I was fine which is strange because I wouldn’t have thought I would be- I’m not good with hospitals.

“But now I feel shaky when I talk about it. It’s been surreal.”

Ask doctor about the treatment.

The new gold standard of stroke treatment

A stroke occurs when there is blockage in the brain, often a blood clot, which cuts off the blood supply.

If the supply of blood is restricted or stopped, brain cells begin to die. This can lead to brain injury, disability and possibly death.

Dr Ruchi Kabra, Consultant Interventional Neuroradiologist at St George’s, who performed the procedure, said: “The surgery has been around for quite some time. We have been doing it at St George’s since 2010.

“However, the evidence to prove that it’s more beneficial for patients only came out in 2015 after numerous international trials. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence then published guidelines based on this evidence.”

Previous to this, intravenous thrombectomies, which uses clot busting medication administered into the veins, was the go-to procedure.

A mechanical thrombectomy uses a tiny tube that acts as “a cage” and physically grabs the clot and pulls it out.

St George’s is currently the only hospital offering the surgery round-the-clock, which is vital as it must be done within six hours of the stroke.

Dr Kabra said: “The brain is starved of blood when there’s a blockage and is suffering damage but not irreversible damage.

“But after the six hours, even if you take the clot out, the damage is already done.”

The NHS is now working on how to make the surgery available to everyone that needs it.

Dr Kabra added: “I’m delighted that Nichola has made such a great recovery.

“Credit goes to everyone involved in her care who worked together to ensure that she received the best treatment quickly and effectively.”