A Dublin man who suffered a stroke just two days after proposing to his girlfriend is preparing for a fundraising run for the charity that helped him recover.
Andrew Carr, 31, from Coolock, popped the question on Valentine's Day last year - but 48 hours later, he was in Beaumont Hospital, where doctors found a hole in his heart.
Twelve months on, he and fiancée Bernadette Hogan are planning their wedding and Andrew is lacing up his runners for the Irish Heart Foundation’s annual 5km Love Run this Valentine's weekend.
Andrew had just finished a busy day at work in Trinity College last February when his speech began to slur and he felt numbness on his left side.
"It was very frightening. I was terrified. I was rushed to Beaumont Hospital, and they did a CT Scan and an MRI and discovered it was a stroke. Because I was only 30 at the time, they thought it was likely linked to my heart," he said.
The day before Andrew was discharged, tests revealed that he was born with a hole in his heart which doctors believed may have caused his stroke. He underwent a successful procedure to close the hole in September last year.
He said: "Recuperation has been tough. My memory was affected, and I still have to work on my speech. It is 97% perfect but when I get tired it starts to get muddled, the fatigue is also very difficult."
Andrew was referred to the Irish Heart Foundation’s Stroke Connect Service, which he describes as "a light in the darkness".
"After I had the stroke, I didn’t have the confidence to talk. The group allowed me to learn from other people. That was invaluable, and there was an understanding built-in," he said.
Almost one year on from his stroke, Andrew will join other heart and stroke patients taking part in this weekend's fundraising run.
He said: "I want to give back to the charity. It's a way of showing that I have come back from somewhere I didn't think was possible."
Of course, Andrew is also being kept busy with preparations for the wedding which is due to take place in September.
He has a very special message for fiancée Bernadette this coming Valentine's Day.
"We are getting married and I just can't think of anything better than being with you. Our wedding is such a huge thing to look forward to. You're my helper and are the centre of my life."
