I slept for 24 hours straight and realised something was seriously wrong
Stumbling out of the dark room, I ripped my microphone from my head and handed it to a fellow instructor.
'You've got to go and teach this class,' I said.
I'd been about halfway through my usual 7am boxing session at a boutique studio in January 2019 when the headache suddenly started.
The pain was excruciating, radiating across my whole head and worsening each time I opened my eyes. The closest I could come to describing it would be as an intense migraine, but even then that doesn't capture the agony I was in.
Reasoning that the flashing lights and loud music weren't helping matters, I bailed on the class to try and rest.
What I didn't realise then though was this wasn't your typical headache. In fact, as I found out afterwards, it was a stroke. And it would change my life.
Up to that morning, I'd been the picture of health.
I was 32, from Norfolk but living in New York City with my wife and working as an actor and fitness coach. Because of this, I tried to keep myself in the best condition possible so I boxed regularly, ate healthily, and I didn't drink alcohol.
That's why it was so unusual for me to be feeling like this.
After handing over the mic, I went into a staff room and fell asleep. I woke up a couple of hours later but my headache was worse than ever.
I should have taken myself home then, but because I was due to be at an audition soon I decided to stay put.
However, when it came time to leave I couldn't remember where the audition was or any of my lines. I felt confused, lost.
Despite this, I wasn't concerned that my headache was caused by anything other than me being exhausted or burnt out. All I wanted was to go home and sleep but, worryingly, I couldn't remember where I lived or how to get there.
Eventually, I called my wife and she told me how to get on the train and get back home in one piece. She was concerned but I reassured her that all I needed to do was lie down at home. I then slept for 24 hours straight.
When I woke up my headache had gone but I still felt exhausted and like something wasn't quite right. Still, I went back to teach my boxing class, and then I started slurring my words.
Afterwards, I saw a doctor who advised that I was indeed 'burnt out' and I should be fine after a couple of days off work. However, things just got worse with the same symptoms presenting throughout the rest of the day.
Sensing something was seriously wrong, my wife suggested we book to see another doctor and, this time, I completed a series of blood tests and an MRI scan.
The latter confirmed my 'headache' had actually been a stroke and that I had a congenital heart defect called atrial septal defect (ASD).
I was in complete and utter shock.
The main symptoms of a stroke can happen suddenly and include: Face weakness
Arm weakness
Speech problems
The easiest way to remember these symptoms is the word FAST: face, arms, speech and time to call 999.
Other symptoms include: Weakness or numbness down one side of your body
Blurred vision or loss of sight in one or both eyes
Finding it difficult to speak or think of words
Confusion and memory loss
Feeling dizzy or falling over
Severe headache
Feeling or being sick (nausea or vomiting)
Source: NHS
Not only did I not feel like I'd had a stroke, I couldn't understand how or why this had happened. It felt like my world as I'd always known it was crumbling apart.
As for discovering I had ASD, it was hard to process. Essentially, the condition means I have a hole in the wall that separates the heart's top two chambers, which then increases the amount of blood going through the lungs.
While signs and symptoms of this heart defect are rare, in most cases these holes will close up by adulthood without treatment. However, as in my case, when left untreated, ASD can cause other problems such as heart failure and strokes.
So, it was decided that I needed surgery to repair the damage.
As I didn't have health insurance in the US, I decided to return to the UK for the surgery in July 2019, for which I was unbelievably scared.
I'd had to sign a lot of paperwork beforehand stating that I was aware of potential complications and risks – including death.
Thankfully, everything went well – though my doctor did find a second hole in my heart, which was patched up at the same time – and I returned to America about a month after my surgery.
However, life was anything but normal afterwards as I still suffered with the repercussions of the stroke.
Both working out and teaching gave me vertigo, sometimes to the point that I threw up. I wasn't sleeping well and my memory was still patchy. I felt frustrated and angry – I just wanted to get my life back on track.
Ironically, the one thing that allowed me to do that was the pandemic.
As terrible as Covid was for many people, going into lockdown was my saving grace. I was physically forced to stop doing anything vigorous and focus on my recovery.
By October 2020 I finally felt like I was back to my old self. I was working out again with a trainer who understood my body but taking it slow, I was sleeping soundly, my speech was back to normal, and my memory was improving.
Luckily for me, at the same time, Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby reached out and asked if I would be interested in joining the instructor team.
I'd first met Cody back in 2017 when I'd taken a couple of his classes and he asked if I wanted to audition then, but at the time I was so focused on acting that I didn't go ahead. Now though, I jumped at the chance.
I had to go through an audition process but I eventually landed the role at the London studio in January 2021 and my wife and I moved back to the UK not long after. And by March 2021, I started teaching on the Peloton platform.
Since then, not only have I continued to teach classes alongside my own training, I've tried to be really open about my experience of having a stroke. More Trending
I used to hide this fact because I wanted to be perceived as normal. However, I've learned the more I talk about my experience – whether that's in a class or at events – the more people my age I realise have been through the same thing.
Strokes can happen to anyone at any age, and awful things can happen at any time. I'm so grateful to have come back stronger.
Peloton provides expert instruction and world class content to create impactful and entertaining workout experiences for members anywhere and at any stage in their fitness journey. Peloton brings together innovative hardware, distinctive software, and exclusive content.
This article was originally published February 9, 2025
Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing James.Besanvalle@metro.co.uk.
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