Latest news with #SaskiaBishop
The Irish Sun
08-07-2025
- Health
- The Irish Sun
‘Fit and healthy' woman, 22, left fighting for life after freak ‘blistering pain' struck suddenly paralysing her
JUST minutes after complaining of a pounding headache, Saskia Bishop was unable to move. The fit and healthy 22-year-old was Advertisement 13 Saskia Bishop, 22, was visiting her grandma on Easter Monday when she was struck by a sudden searing headache Credit: Kennedy News 13 She experienced no warning symptoms beforehand Credit: Kennedy News 13 Unable to stand or speak, Saskia was rushed to hospital Credit: Kennedy News 13 Tests showed Saskia had a significant bleed in her brain that had caused a stroke Credit: Kennedy News Saskia was visiting her grandma on April 21 when disaster struck and she was floored by the sharp pain in her head. Advertisement The business owner was rushed to A&E where doctors made not one but two devastating discoveries. Saskia, who lives in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, said: "I had absolutely no symptoms or changes in my health. "There was literally nothing to suggest it was going to happen until the day that it happened. "I had just arrived at my grandma's and got a blistering pain in my head. 'It hit me like a sharp pain and then I could almost hear a flat line beeping in my head. Advertisement "It was so consuming, I couldn't think about anything else. "My dad told me to go lie down and I immediately threw up. I could basically only blink. "I couldn't really move. If I stood up, I would've just collapsed. "I knew that something wasn't right but as soon as my speech started to go, I couldn't communicate that with anyone. I battled mystery headaches for ten years - doctors thought I'd had a stroke but it was something much rarer "I was really frightened when I was Advertisement Aware something was gravely wrong, Saskia's dad rushed his daughter to Gloucester Royal Hospital's A&E, before she was transferred to Southmead Hospital's intensive care unit in Bristol. It was there that medics discovered Saskia had a significant bleed in her brain that had caused a stroke. But more bad news was to come. Further tests revealed she was also suffering from a rare brain condition known as 13 Saskia was also suffering from a rare brain condition known as arteriovenous malformation Credit: Kennedy News 13 She underwent a seven-hour operation to remove the AVM and surrounding blood clot Credit: Kennedy News Advertisement 13 Ever a 'chatterbox', Saskia was unable to speak for two weeks Credit: Kennedy News 13 She spent two weeks in hospital and has been dealing with lingering effects from her ordeal Credit: Kennedy News An AVM is a tangle of blood vessels in the brain or on the brain's surface which causes blood to bypass normal tissues. Most people with In Saskia's case the AVM had ruptured, causing a The 22-year-old underwent a seven-hour Advertisement After losing her speech for two weeks, she has now made a partial recovery and her speech has gradually returned. Saskia was able to go home after two weeks in hospital but she is still suffering long-term effects, including fatigue and mobility issues, months later. What is an arteriovenous malformation (AVM)? An AVM is a tangle of blood vessels in thebrain or on the brain surface. This causes blood to bypass the usual network of vessels and flows directly from arteries to veins. Symptoms may vary depending on the size and location of the AVM within the brain. While AVMs commonly cause no symptoms at all, they can lead to seizures, headaches, speech disturbances and visual disturbances. Sometimes a brain AVM is found after the blood vessels burst and bleed, known as a hemorrhage. The cause of brain AVMs isn't clear. Most people who have them are born with them, but they can form later in life. They are typically discovered between the ages of 20 and 40. Source: NHS "I'm such a chatterbox I thought nothing is going to stop me from speaking,' she says. "A load of my head is numb now. I get shooting pains where my scar is and my whole head aches but other than that I'm very lucky I don't have any other defects. "When I got my speech back it was gradual. Advertisement 'It was frustrating that I couldn't get my point across and sometimes it takes me a while to answer. It's still coming back. "I've made a strong recovery but if I go long distance, I need a wheelchair. "Everyone kept saying I was lucky and I feel grateful I survived and I can walk and talk. It could've been fatal.' 13 Saskia still gets frustrated when it takes her longer to get her point across Credit: Kennedy News 13 She also can't walk long distances yet Credit: Kennedy News Advertisement 13 But Saskia recognises she's lucky to not be suffering with more serious aftereffects Credit: Kennedy News Saskia also had to reckon with her family's concern for her. "When they told me how serious it was, I was more worried about how my family would take the news,' she said. "They said it was the worst day of their lives and thought I might not make it through. "My family thought I was going to die when they were told [I had an AVM]." Advertisement Saskia said she was 'stubborn and determined [she] wanted to do things" while recovering from her ordeal. But she's had to learn to take things more slowly. 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 "This is the worst thing I've ever gone through. I've never gone through anything like this. "I thought I'd be back to work in two weeks but I still can't do most things so that definitely isn't an option for a while. "I'm just taking it day by day." Advertisement Now, Saskia wants to warn others about the importance of listening to their body. "I was born with my AVM. A lot of people go their whole life without knowing. I had no idea I had this. "I'm kind of lucky I had it when I did because recovery is so much easier when you're younger. "I would say to other people your age doesn't protect you from anything so listen to your body. You know if something is severely wrong." 13 Saskia hasn't been able to go back to work and is still taking it day by day Credit: Kennedy News Advertisement 13 She urged others to listen to their body Credit: Kennedy News
The Sun
08-07-2025
- Health
- The Sun
‘Fit and healthy' woman, 22, left fighting for life after freak ‘blistering pain' struck suddenly paralysing her
JUST minutes after complaining of a pounding headache, Saskia Bishop was unable to move. The fit and healthy 22-year-old was paralysed, having also suddenly lost the ability to speak and was 'only able to blink' as a means of communicating with her terrified family. 13 Saskia was visiting her grandma on April 21 when disaster struck and she was floored by the sharp pain in her head. The business owner was rushed to A&E where doctors made not one but two devastating discoveries. Saskia, who lives in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, said: "I had absolutely no symptoms or changes in my health. "There was literally nothing to suggest it was going to happen until the day that it happened. "I had just arrived at my grandma's and got a blistering pain in my head. 'It hit me like a sharp pain and then I could almost hear a flat line beeping in my head. "It was so consuming, I couldn't think about anything else. "My dad told me to go lie down and I immediately threw up. I could basically only blink. "I couldn't really move. If I stood up, I would've just collapsed. "I knew that something wasn't right but as soon as my speech started to go, I couldn't communicate that with anyone. I battled mystery headaches for ten years - doctors thought I'd had a stroke but it was something much rarer "I was really frightened when I was unable to talk. I thought I needed medical attention but didn't know why.' Aware something was gravely wrong, Saskia's dad rushed his daughter to Gloucester Royal Hospital's A&E, before she was transferred to Southmead Hospital's intensive care unit in Bristol. It was there that medics discovered Saskia had a significant bleed in her brain that had caused a stroke. But more bad news was to come. Further tests revealed she was also suffering from a rare brain condition known as arteriovenous malformation (AVM). 13 An AVM is a tangle of blood vessels in the brain or on the brain's surface which causes blood to bypass normal tissues. Most people with AVM have no initial symptoms or notice any problems. But when an AVM ruptures, it can prove deadly. In Saskia's case the AVM had ruptured, causing a bleed which then turned into a blood clot. The 22-year-old underwent a seven-hour craniotomy operation to remove the AVM and the surrounding blood clot. After losing her speech for two weeks, she has now made a partial recovery and her speech has gradually returned. Saskia was able to go home after two weeks in hospital but she is still suffering long-term effects, including fatigue and mobility issues, months later. "I'm such a chatterbox I thought nothing is going to stop me from speaking,' she says. "A load of my head is numb now. I get shooting pains where my scar is and my whole head aches but other than that I'm very lucky I don't have any other defects. "When I got my speech back it was gradual. 'It was frustrating that I couldn't get my point across and sometimes it takes me a while to answer. It's still coming back. "I've made a strong recovery but if I go long distance, I need a wheelchair. "Everyone kept saying I was lucky and I feel grateful I survived and I can walk and talk. It could've been fatal.' 13 13 13 Saskia also had to reckon with her family's concern for her. "When they told me how serious it was, I was more worried about how my family would take the news,' she said. "They said it was the worst day of their lives and thought I might not make it through. "My family thought I was going to die when they were told [I had an AVM]." Saskia said she was 'stubborn and determined [she] wanted to do things" while recovering from her ordeal. But she's had to learn to take things more slowly. 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 "This is the worst thing I've ever gone through. I've never gone through anything like this. "I thought I'd be back to work in two weeks but I still can't do most things so that definitely isn't an option for a while. "I'm just taking it day by day." Now, Saskia wants to warn others about the importance of listening to their body. "I was born with my AVM. A lot of people go their whole life without knowing. I had no idea I had this. "I'm kind of lucky I had it when I did because recovery is so much easier when you're younger. "I would say to other people your age doesn't protect you from anything so listen to your body. You know if something is severely wrong."
