A young dad suffered three strokes in just three days and had half his skull removed to help save his life.
Tim Clark was 36 when his wife and three young children watched in horror as he suffered the first stroke at a family barbecue and was rushed to hospital for life saving surgery.
He recalled having what he thought was a headache while playing football, but picked his son up from nursery the following day and carried him on his shoulders. He told the Daily Record: "It was such a nice day I lit the barbecue so we could enjoy a family dinner outside that evening. Then everything changed. My wife and children watched me have a stroke right in front of them.
"The third stroke was in hospital and it nearly took my life. I was rushed into emergency surgery to have an operation on my brain to release pressure on my skull. They had to take part of my skull away."
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The stroke left him with left-sided paralysis and he was unable to do anything for himself. He said: "Rebecca was three at the time. When Jen brought her in, Rebecca was scared of me because of how I looked.
"Eventually she reached for my hand. I can't tell you how much it meant to have her hold my hand. In a single moment, I found the drive to get better."
The now 43-year-old from Bridge of Weir is sharing his experience in 2017 to warn others that strokes can happen at any age.
Tim said he had to learn how to swallow, sit, stand and walk again, but his recovery was only just beginning. He said: "Jen became pretty much a single parent as well as my carer but she has been amazing.
"The time when you leave hospital can be the most lonely, isolating and difficult. That is when Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland come in. Because of generous donors, they can be there to provide such special support and help when it is needed most."
Tim, who is now a peer support coordinator for CHSS, is urging people across the country to donate to its Summer fundraising appeal.
He said: "If there is one thing I have learned it is that it doesn't matter how healthy, fit or young you are: when stroke strikes, it can devastate lives in an instant."
