23 October 2024
Celebrating World Stroke Day 2024 – Survivor Story
Stroke survivor Olivia Fergusson, aims to support others by sharing her tips for stroke prevention and the lifestyle changes she has made since surviving a stroke in April 2024.
Olivia, 38, was a devoted member of her community. Helping people is her passion – whether leading her women’s life support group, volunteering at her local church, cooking healthy meals for her family or studying for a HR qualification focusing on mental health and wellbeing in the workplace.
But in April this year, while visiting her home island of Barbados with her family including her five-year-old daughter Eden, Olivia had a life-changing stroke.
Re-learning how to walk, regaining bladder control and coping with fatigue were just a few of the early challenges in her recovery journey.
Olivia says accepting help from her friends, family and the Stroke Association has been vital as she works on rebuilding her life. She wants to use her experience to encourage and continue helping others.
Since her stroke, Olivia’s love of cooking was reignited by information produced by the Stroke Association about healthy eating, and she now focuses on reducing salt in her family’s meals.
Olivia says: “I’ve got back to cooking which I’m really excited about. The Stroke Association and their partnership with LoSalt helped me learn all about salt, and how it hardens and narrows your arteries. I now know it can be bad for you and increase the risk of stroke. So, I’ve been trying to cook without salt, or where that’s not possible and I need a bit of flavour, I use LoSalt in my cooking instead. I also add fresh ingredients like garlic, chilli, coriander and chives to flavour my meals.
“I’ve found it fun trying different fresh ingredients to season my food, it’s a creative outlet for me. I tell my daughter Eden that we’re eating the rainbow, because of all the different colours on our plate.”
Looking ahead, Olivia is particularly passionate about raising awareness of stroke in younger people and stroke prevention.
“Stroke prevention doesn’t have to be this big lifestyle change that overwhelms you. Yes, you are working towards a lifestyle change but it needs to be sustainable. Start with small things, such as reducing salt intake, swapping fruit for pudding instead of chocolate, or sparkling water with mint or cucumber instead of sugary drinks.
“Getting outside more and being in nature does so much good. It’s not always about signing up to a gym and doing crazy exercises, it might be having a simple movement plan, learning to manage your stress or talking with someone you can trust.”
LoSalt works with the Stroke Association to educate on the link between stroke and a high salt intake, working together to help create a healthier nation, one swap at a time. For further information on the work the Stroke Association do, visit https://www.stroke.org.uk.