Josh Burns (Macnamara, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On one evening in August 2018, Shazia began to feel dizzy. She grabbed the wall while trying to keep her balance. Her husband, Sadiq, could see that something was seriously wrong and wasted no time in calling an ambulance. He didn't know at that time, but this quick decision saved her life. Shazia found out she had experienced a stroke and had severe bleeding on the left side of her brain. This week is National Stroke Week. Every 19 minutes in Australia, someone experiences a stroke. It's a leading cause of death and disability in Australia. This is because strokes are often hard to recognise. They can have really subtle signs, but recognising these subtleties and getting patients diagnosed and treated quickly is vital. There are good treatments available, and many patients return from hospital after a stroke to lead full, productive lives.

However, for those treatments to work, people suffering a stroke need to get to hospital as fast as possible. That is why every Australian should familiarise themselves with the signs of a stroke. My friends at the Stroke Foundation taught me a simple, fast acronym. 'F' is for the face; watch for drooping. 'A' is for arms; check if they can lift both. 'S' is for speech; listen for slurring. 'T' is for the time; every stroke is an emergency, and we must call triple 0 immediately. Recognising FAST signs of stroke, Shazia's husband, Sadiq, acted immediately, and it saved her life. I urge you all to share the FAST message with your loved ones because, when it comes to treating a stroke, every minute counts.