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'I called my wife and told her I was going to die': Young dad's incredible stroke journey

By Heidi Krause|

Jake Sims was walking through Canberra airport when he suddenly felt an impending sense of doom wash over him.

The ultra-fit and healthy Australian Army photographer was just 30-years-old, with a newborn at home, and about to head off on a work trip.

"I started to see stars," the dad-of-two tells 9Honey Parenting. "It was the weirdest sensation. Then I felt light-headed and really heavy on my feet. It was a struggle to lift one foot in front of the other.

"So I called my wife Liz and told her 'I think I'm going to die now'."

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Jake Sims considers himself lucky to be alive after having a stroke in 2017
Jake Sims considers himself lucky to be alive after having a stroke in 2017 (Supplied)

Liz told her husband to hang up immediately and to call his friend and colleague, also called Jake, who was at the airport cafe.

"I remember calling Jake and, at that point, my speech was really slurred. I thought, 'this is it, I'm dying', and then I collapsed. I hit the deck. Hard."

Jake had suffered a stroke. But despite displaying all the classic signs and symptoms, because of his age, no one had any idea... a common experience for young stroke survivors.

My speech was really slurred and I thought, 'this is it, I'm dying'.

No stranger to extremely dangerous situations, Jake describes what happened next, on that fateful day in 2017 as "completely surreal".

"I started having an out-of-body experience..." he recalls. "I was looking down at my body and I could see Jake holding my head while I was throwing up in the bin. I could see my limbs were floppy. Then everything went black."

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Jake had a stroke when he was 30 (Supplied)

The next thing he remembers was the "firies talking to him", trying to work out what had happened. Jake was flagged as a 'priority three' as the emergency responders had no idea his life was in danger.

"They asked me if I had been drinking.. I told them 'No, I don't actually drink alcohol at all'," Jake explains. "I told them I was fit and healthy, I trained every single day, and had no idea what was going on."

I went from the general ward with a suspected migraine straight to ICU

"They told me to stand up, that I was fine, but said 'No, I can't stand up. I can't move'. At that point, my slurred speech had stopped, but I couldn't see out of my right eye and had no balance in my right side."

After 45 minutes an ambulance arrived and took Jake to hospital, where doctors thought he was simply "having a migraine".

Despite his symptoms, which all clearly pointed to a stroke, it took 36 long hours for an official diagnosis. The avid snowboarder was told he had three blood clots in his brain and was taken to surgery.

"My wife and four-month-old were beside me when the doctors rushed in and told me I had to go ICU. I went from the general ward with a suspected migraine straight to intensive care. The news came as a complete shock."

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POOL PICTURES. Sunday 17th January 2016. Taji Iraq. Australian troops are training Iraqi soldiers for the fight against the so-called Islamic State, helping improve the Iraqis' basic skills such as marksmanship, combat tactics and leadership. The Iraqi army suffered a series of morale-sapping defeats at the hands of the terrorist organisation in 2014 and 2015. About 300 Australians are working alongside about 100 New Zealand soldiers on the training mission at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad. Pictu (News Limited)

According to Jake, the diagnosis and the first two weeks ?after the stroke were his lowest point.

"I'm not good at being cooped up and staying still at the best of times, but I had no energy and my mind was wandering," he reveals. "I was super fatigued. To go from someone who could run a kilometre in under three minutes.. to not even being able to walk was very daunting."

My biggest fear is dying young like my own dad?

At that point, all Jake could think about was what his condition would mean for his career and his young family.

"I was really stressed out. I feared for my future. I honestly have the best job in the world... I get paid to see the world, take photos and document history doing what I love."

As a photographer, vision is vital and the military is all Jake had ever known.

"I spent seven years in the infantry and seven as a photographer and even though there were moments of danger, I had control of those situations to some extent," he reflects. "But a stroke was different. It felt like I had no control of my destiny."

"?I was really nervous that I was going to lose my job and would be unable to provide for my family. My life was turning upside down."

Jake had a stroke when he was 30
Jake had a stroke when he was 30 (Supplied)

But beyond that, he was also worried about the prospect of leaving his little boy and wife.

"Hugo was only four-months-old at the time. What would my stroke mean for him? Would I be able to play with him and see him grow? I lost my own dad when I was 15 and it was devastating. My biggest fear is dying young like my dad."

'I owe my life to rehab'

Remarkably, after three weeks in hospital and eight months of rigorous rehabilitation, Jake returned to full duties at work.

He credits his recovery to his incredible rehab team and his wife's support.

"I truly believe that the only reason I am a functioning human right now is because of my rehab. My amazing medical team came up with a plan, set goals and tracked my progress on a computer - so I could see the improvements every week."

"?You can be so depressed and down in the moment, but if you can see improvements, you can pick yourself up and think 'I may not be like I was, but I will find my new normal'."

He adds: "I threw everything I had into it. I actually had to dig deep and use that military motto of 'let's just get on with it' and work toward what we can fix."

Jake Sims and his four-month-old baby Hugo (Supplied)

Incredibly, Jake lost 16 per cent of his brain capacity from the stroke... and had moments where he couldn't remember his wife or his son's name.

"And while that sucks," he admits. "I've been able to create a new normal and I've learned the brain is just amazing at repairing itself."

"For eight months I slept 18 hours a day from the fatigue... but throughout everything Liz has been my rock. She constantly reassured me everything would be okay and we would get through it together. If I could not return to the person I was, it didn't matter. I was alive. "

"Thinking back it was an exhausting time for Liz. Not only was she caring for me, she was dealing with all the challenges of being a first-time mum, essentially on her own. She was sleep-deprived herself, but never once complained."

'Turning point' in Jake's recovery?

?A self-confessed adrenalin junkie and avid snowboarder, before the stroke Jake would take himself to the backcountry and race down steep slopes like you see in the movies.

"?That was always my release... I just love the mountains. So that was another one of my goals and motivations in rehab. I was desperate to get back out there."

Jake recalls the amazing moment he had with his best friend in the backcountry just five months after the stroke.

"?I absolutely nailed a really challenging jump. The euphoria was incredible. It made me realise I could do anything. I was back. I had my body back. I felt in control. I will remember that moment forever. And that was a true turning point for me in my recovery."

"I always was an advocate for living life to the full and that "You never get today back"?, but the stroke really pushed that home even more. My wife Liz probably hates it because I just never stop," he laughs.

Jake loves his job as a photographer with the Australian Army
Jake loves his job as a photographer with the Australian Army (Supplied)

For Jake, his biggest joy is his family, Liz, Hugo, now five, and three-year-old daughter Eleanor. He marvels in the simple moments and spending time outdoors with them every day.

"They are my everything. I do not take any of these things for granted," Jake gushes. "Father's Day means so much to me, it's amazing that I'm still here and I've been able to build my family."

"I lost my own dad when I was 15 to melanoma. He was only 43. So Father's Day wasn't a happy memory. I used to actually hate the day... "

"Becoming a parent totally changed that for me... ?having my own family and being able to wake up to my son and daughter running in and cuddling me in the morning, it's made it such a special day."

"Ir sounds cliche but every day is Father's Day for me... just watching them run into the room with their smiling faces. They are such beautiful kids."

Jake is a self-confessed adrenalin junkie
Jake is a self-confessed adrenalin junkie (Supplied)

Strokes can happen at any age?

For Jake, who considers himself fairly "unemotional", the depth of his feelings since becoming a parent has come as a huge shock.

"I've been to Iraq, to Afghanistan, to East Timor... I've been deployed all over the ?world, but I just wasn't prepared for the love I feel for my kids. I'm so much more sensitive than I ever was."

Jake is sharing his story to help raise awareness about strokes happening at any age and the F.A.S.T (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) signs.

Stroke is one of Australia's biggest killers and a leading cause of disability.

In fact, a quarter of all ?strokes in Australia are experienced by people aged between 18 and 54-years-old.

"It's a common misconception that strokes only happen to older people and that's simply not true," said Stroke Foundation Chief Executive Officer Sharon McGowan. "There are more than 142,000 young Australians living with the impact of stroke, and around 20 strokes a day impact people in this age bracket."

"My message to anyone else recovering from stroke is while you may not want to leap down mountains like me, keep pushing to achieve your goals. It might be picking up a cup or walking 10 paces.

"Keep working at it. You never get today back"

To find out more about the Stroke Foundation, visit strokefoundation.org.au.

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