DID you know children can have strokes?

This was the devastating news facing Kimberly O'Brien, 28, of Wilsden, after months of her son, Sebastian, five, suffering symptoms that initially went undiagnosed.

It turned out, in three separate episodes, the youngster had experienced several transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs) – known as “mini-strokes”- as well as a major stroke (ischemic stroke).

Mrs O'Brien admits her son could have been killed, or permanently brain-damaged, and wants to raise awareness about strokes in young people.

She said: "It's scary but there's no information."

The "dark journey" began for the family - which includes step-dad, David O'Brien, 48, younger brother, Hunter, three, and their father, Thomas Metcalfe, 29 - back in October 2020.

Mrs O Brien said: "It was just a normal day, we'd gone to the park earlier that day, came home to their usual routine - bath, book bed.

"They have bunkbeds, share it between the two boys.

“The youngest came in mumbling Seb was not okay, he was crying, at 1am."

The mother and Mr O'Brien rushed into the boy's bedroom and found Sebastian - who was four at the time - trying to get down the ladders at the end of the bunkbed.

But he was stuck and could not move or speak.

Mrs O'Brien said: "We picked him up and put him on the floor and he just fell and hit the deck.

"Even at that point, we turned on the light and looking, his face had dropped on the right side and his right leg.

“We were still trying to stand him up, because we didn’t know what was going on – 'Seb, try speak to me, or mumble, or grin at me'.

“I picked him up and took him into my partner’s bedroom – we didn’t know what was happening.

“He would go in and out of it and he still couldn’t move the right side of his body.

“After 15 minutes, I rang 999 – they were brilliant.

“They tried to ask me what’s going on and I described it as a stroke, but not believing for one second it was.

“Even when the ambulance got here they weren’t too concerned and actually said it might be a behavioural problem which caused it, but it just shows the lack of knowledge, because it wasn’t on the paramedics' radar.

“They blue-lighted us to BRI (Bradford Royal Infirmary) and sent a test away – the CT scan didn’t pick up a stroke.”

The family were told it was likely to be epilepsy and were asked to record Sebastian if it happened again.

Mrs O'Brien said: “We just carried on our normal life.

“Seb went to Wilsden Primary School – he went back like normal, we informed the school and thought nothing else of it.

“We kept an eye on him and did research on epilepsy to make him aware.

“Seb was brilliant.”

The five-year-old worked out a system to help inform his mum and step-dad when he was having an issue.

He would tell them he had “blue power” when everything was working as normal, but when a problem arose, he would tell them he was feeling “red power”.

This became important in October, when Sebastian was struck with his second stroke.

Mrs O’Brien explained there had been “nothing” inbetween the first episode and the one in October, other than the youngster being a bit clumsier.

She said: “He was at the kitchen table, he went to grab some cereal and he shouted, ‘red power’.

“His face, arms, legs went and I had to catch him because he fell off the kitchen chair.

“I carried him into the room and prepared to record him, as we were told to.

“It was heartbreaking to record him, I can’t watch the videos back knowing now it’s a stroke.

“It’s horrendous looking back, just recording him having a stroke.”

Mrs O’Brien decided to take Sebastian to the doctors because the advice they had been given seemed off.

She said: “It just didn’t sit right, so I got in touch with a couple of doctors, the local GP, and she was brilliant.

“They rang BRI, we were taken in and still at this point they were saying epilepsy.”

The mother explained they were referred to a Doctor Wood, who was a neurologist at St Luke’s Hospital.

She described him as being brilliant and sent Sebastian in for an MRI scan as he had doubts as to whether his issues were being caused by epilepsy.

Mrs O’Brien said: “Three days later, we got a call - just got some shocking news, we need to talk, that kind of approach.”

The family were told Sebastian had suffered what looked to be several transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs) – known as “mini-strokes”- as well as a major stroke (ischemic stroke).

The mother admitted as soon as they were told, it made sense to them.

Doctors wanted a better image of what was going on in Sebastian’s brain and so the family were rushed to Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) for an angiogram.

Medical experts can use this method to produce pictures of blood vessels in the brain, through a mixture of x-rays and an iodine-containing contrast material.

Mrs O’Brien said: “He had countless blood tests, to the point he’s terrified of needles now.

“He will go to the hospital all day, but not when you want to take blood from him.”

The testing continued for weeks, but nobody had any idea what had caused the strokes, according to Mrs O’Brien.

Sebastian has since been put on medication – Aspirin – to thin his blood and lower the risk of having another stroke – so far, this has worked, but the mystery remains.

The previous episodes damaged some of the youngster’s brain, particularly in the centre, which controls movement.

But miraculously, Sebastian has recovered well physically.

Mrs O’Brien said: “He’s okay physically, we’ve noticed he falls over a lot because of the way he carries his legs.

“He’s blown everyone away, they can’t understand how he’s got over it.”

The five-year-old still carries mental scars from the ordeal though and the family continue to look for answers and raise awareness.

Mrs O’Brien said: “He can be like a different boy sometimes.

“We’ve just been referred to a neuropsychologist.

“It’s just something we don’t get help with, because we’ve had to chase that.

“It’s not through a lack of trying, but there’s just so much unknown.

“It could have killed him or permanently brain damaged him.”

Mrs O'Brien will be running the Great Manchester Run in September, alongside Mr Metcalfe and other family members and participants who have opted to join the cause, to raise awareness of young people suffering from strokes.

The team also set-up a Just Giving page for Stroke Association and have raised £455 so far, smashing their £400 target.

If you would like to donate, click here...