On 21 July 2012 14-year-old Corey, a talented footballer, headed off to a weekend AFL match with his dad Angelo to watch his beloved Bulldogs play his dad’s favourite team Carlton. The day played out like any other and Corey and Angelo enjoyed the game and returned home in the afternoon.

They hadn’t been home long when Corey complained of a headache and said he felt unwell. Corey’s mum Miki said things got worse very quickly.

“We had just given him Panadol and soon after he started crying because the pain was so bad, we knew it was unusual for him, and minutes later he vomited and then collapsed. We called an ambulance straight away, it was such a shock, but never in our wildest dreams did we think it was what it turned out to be,” said Miki.

Corey was rushed to hospital and on route his condition was so critical he had to be transferred to a Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance (MICA). Corey was taken to The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) and required emergency surgery.

“By the time we arrived at the RCH he was already in surgery,” said Miki. “The surgeon came out and told us that Corey had an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), a cluster of malformed veins in his brain, which had ruptured, and that because of the rupture he had also had a stroke,” she said. “It was a terrifying time and such a shock, but I remember a social worker in intensive care who was such an amazing support, I’ll always be thankful for what she did for us.”

Corey spent 10 days in Rosella (Paediatric Intensive Care Unit) and had two major surgeries before he was transferred to Cockatoo (Surgical and Neuro Care Ward).

“When Corey finally woke up he couldn’t speak, walk or use the left side of his body. We didn’t know what permanent damage had been done. The doctors explained that Corey would undergo extensive rehabilitation but we expected at best that he would walk with a prominent limp. We didn’t know if his speech would ever come back or if he would be able to play sport again.”

“Corey was always so athletic, he played football all the time and was also a great runner, it was so hard to see him like this and not know if he would ever fully recover.”

Corey spent two months on Cockatoo before being transferred to Kelpie (Adolescent and Rehabilitation Care Ward), where he underwent daily rehabilitation, occupational therapy (OT) and speech pathology for a further eight weeks.

“His days were spent doing rehab with physiotherapist Clare and occupational therapist Ashlee as well as speech pathology with Louise. Eventually he starting talking again, which was a huge and exciting milestone. As soon as his rehab sessions were over he’d spend the rest of the day practising the tasks the girls had given him. He wasn’t willing to accept that he wouldn’t make a full recovery and he knew that the more he practiced and the harder he tried, the better he would get. Every day he would say I’m going to play football again, I’m going to run again, and he wouldn’t accept anything less.”

Two days before his 15th birthday Corey was finally able to return home, four months after being admitted to hospital.

Corey is now 16-years-old and about to enter Year 11 at school. Last year he played a full season of football with his school team and in October 2013 he was selected to represent Victoria in the Gaelic Football League. His focus now is to work towards becoming a strengthening and conditioning coach, working with elite athletes and helping other stroke survivors and patients with brain injuries get back on track.

“He was inspired by the people that helped him get to where he is now, and after working with a strengthening and conditioning coach who helped him recover and get back in to sport after he left hospital, he has decided to pursue the same career and is now focused on studying a degree in exercise science,” said Miki.

“The biggest thing he has learnt from what happened to him is to always keep striving, he continually tells people ‘no matter what you’re faced with, keep at it, always have hope, stay strong. Determination will get you to where you want to be.”

For more information on childhood stoke visit the Better Health Channel and always remember the acronym FAST when checking for stroke symptoms:

Face – has their mouth dropped?
Arms – can they lift both arms?
Speech – is their speech slurred?
Time – time is critical.