A young mum-of-three started her shift at Bunnings thinking it was just like any other day – before she experienced a life-changing medical crisis.
Annmaree Patten Lucas, 33, was rushed to hospital after collapsing with low blood pressure at a Bunnings warehouse in Narrabri, north-western NSW, last Wednesday.
A follow-up MRI revealed she had suffered a stoke at work.
She was rushed to Tamworth Hospital to receive treatment for multiple clots in her brain including a larger one that had caused the embolic stroke.
Annmaree’s sister, Sherylee Lucas, said doctors couldn’t explain why the young mum had the stroke but that she had been experiencing numbness down the left side of her body on and off for two months before it happened.
Moments before the stroke, Annmaree felt a sharp pain in her left arm and collapsed, her sister said.
Sherylee told Daily Mail Australia the family was still in shock.
‘We were in such disbelief and were all so frightened as she is still at high risk of having another stroke,’ she said.
Annmaree Patten Lucas and husband Darren (pictured on their wedding day) need help after she suffered a shocking stroke while at her shift at Bunnings last week
Jesse, 13, Callum, 11, and Aleira, nine, are struggling as their mum recovers from a stroke
Annmaree now needs 24-hour care because she is unable to stand for long periods of time. She can’t work and faces a long recovery process.
Her doctors have advised that she will need a minimum of three months to heal and regain her strength.
Annmaree and her husband Darren share three young children, 13-year-old Jesse, 11-year-old Callum and nine-year-old Aleira.
Sherylee is now the primary carer for the kids as Darren is often away for work for extended periods, and the family relies on his income.
‘I’d give anything to be home with my wife, supporting her and to be there for my children,’ Darren said.
The family is raising money on GoFundMe to help them cover expenses for the three months Annmaree can’t work.
‘The three children are struggling, not understanding why their once energetic happy-go-lucky mum is sleeping and weak all day,’ Sherylee said.
‘I just want my sister back where she is at her best, happy and smiling.
‘This has taken a toll on her entire family we are all trying to take in turns watching her when we can and to help with cleaning and cooking for the children.’
Annmaree (pictured with her family on her wedding day) is still mobile but with support and needs 24-hour care because she is unable to stand for long periods of time
She was working at Bunnings Warehouse when the stroke took place
Associate Professor at Monash University Monique Kilkenny said Australians needed to take the threat of stroke more seriously.
‘Around the world, a stroke occurs in every 1 in 4 people in their lifetime. Right now in Australia, there are over half a million people who have experienced a stroke,’ Professor Kilkenny said.
The Stroke Foundation revealed last year that only 62 per cent of Australians could identify at least one sign of a stroke.
One of the most common signs, facial droop, was not widely recognised.
Other key signs of a stroke include arm weakness, speech difficulties, and sudden vision or balance problems.
