Melbourne teen details moment he realised he was having a stroke

A Melbourne teen who survived a stroke is raising awareness about the tell-tale signs of a stroke in the hope of preventing disability and saving lives.

Martin Hercog, 16, underwent brain surgery seven months ago after he was rushed to Monash Children’s University.

The teen had suffered a stroke while bending down to put his shoes on. 

“That’s when the pressure went to my brain, and that’s where the stroke occurred,” Hercog said.

“That’s where my whole right leg and right arm stopped working.”

At the hospital, testing and scans revealed Hercog had a blood clot affecting the main artery that supplies his brain tissue.

“Three minutes later we’ve extracted the blood clot and restored blood flow to the left side of his brain,” said Ronil Chandra, associate Professor and NeuroInterventional Radiologist from Monash Health.

Around 500 Australian children suffer strokes each year but many parents can be unaware of the symptoms and risk.

Some signs of stroke in children include facial drooping, arm weakness, difficulty walking and slurred speech.

The time it takes to seek medical attention is also critical in preventing death and disability.

”Every 10 minutes more brain tissue is dying, so that’s why in these cases you need to act fast,” Chandra said.

Several months into his recovery, Hercog is thankful that doctors discovered the blood clot on time.

“I can’t thank them enough for saving my life,” he said.

“They really did an amazing job.”