Concreter suffers three strokes in 24 hours, warns of missed symptoms
Dru Arnold, 39, endured three strokes in 24 hours before reaching hospital, and nurses say he was lucky to survive the delay.
Dru Arnold, a fit 39-year-old concreter from the Sunshine Coast, woke one night with slurred speech and a migraine but tried to sleep it off. Dru Arnold suffered three strokes in rapid succession before his wife called an ambulance.
Doctors later found he had also had a stroke two years earlier. Arnold reached hospital after a 24-hour delay, which Stroke Foundation nurses said was fortunate given how time-critical stroke treatment is.
Seven months on, he has mostly recovered, though his speech remains affected. Arnold now warns others to recognise symptoms immediately: facial droop, arm weakness, slurred speech, headaches and brain fog.
- 39 years old
- Age
- 3
- Strokes in 24 hours
- 2 years earlier
- Previous stroke
- 9,147
- Yearly Australian deaths
Why it mattersStrokes kill nearly 9,147 Australians yearly and affect someone every 11 minutes; many people delay seeking help, missing the narrow window for life-saving clot-busting treatment.
AustraliaStrokes are rising in people under 65 across Australia; Arnold's story highlights the need for faster community awareness of symptoms to save lives and reduce disability.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago
Open this story in InSnip →
