Paramedic Suffers Stroke at 24, Family Starts Fundraiser

A young paramedic, Elisha Oakley, aged 24, experienced a sudden and severe stroke. She required emergency surgery on May 29th at Southampton General Hospital to restore blood flow to her brain.

Oakley, a partner and mother to a three-year-old son, had initially dismissed neck pain as work-related. However, symptoms escalated to sickness and tingling in her arm and leg, prompting her fiancé to call an ambulance. Hospital confirmation revealed she had suffered a posterior circulation stroke.

Her family friend, Lissie Broom, initiated a fundraising campaign to aid Oakley and her family. Oakley remains in the neurology intensive care unit, facing a protracted recovery, including physiotherapy. The family hopes to donate any surplus funds to the hospital's neurology centre.

Recently, Oakley's son visited her in the hospital for the first time since her admission, a moment described as highly emotional. The community's support is crucial as Oakley, who typically helps others in crisis, now requires assistance herself.