TWO weeks after suffering a serious stroke a County Durham grandfather is well on the road to recovery thanks to the fast response of his wife and paramedics.

John Woodhouse and his wife Veronica had been discussing the NHS’s Stroke – Act FAST campaign just days before he fell ill.

“We couldn’t remember what the T stood for so we had been looking it up,” said Mrs Woodhouse. “That was on the Saturday before. It’s unbelievable.”

The couple had gone to bed at about 11.30pm on Tuesday, February 7 after a night of entertaining when Mrs Woodhouse got a message on her mobile phone.

Luckily, instead of ignoring it, she turned on the light to find the phone and noticed her husband’s face was drooping, and was unable to speak properly.

After calling an ambulance, help was on its way in minutes and by just after midnight Mr Woodhouse had seen a consultant at the University Hospital of North Durham (UHND).

Because he was able to access treatment so quickly, the 74-year-old has made a swift recovery and was discharged from hospital on Monday, February 13.

He is already able to walk and talk normally and is recovering his fine motor skills.

Mr Woodhouse, a retired probation officer, said: “The health service has come up trumps, from their initial assessment, their reaction and all the subsequent treatment and follow-up.

“The NHS gets a lot of criticism, especially UHND but when the set up is right it’s wonderful. The staff on the stroke ward were fantastic.”

Mrs Woodhouse added: “It was quite a scary experience. Normally I wouldn’t have turned on the light and I wouldn’t have seen his face.

“Luckily I did and I recognised the symptoms at once and everything went exactly the way it should.

“I felt completely confident the whole time.

“When the consultant came in the next Monday he couldn’t believe how well John was.”

A spokesperson for County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust said: “We are very grateful to Mr Woodhouse and his family for their kind words and for sharing their experience.

“We value all patient feedback and hope this experience helps to raise awareness about the importance of recognising the signs and symptoms of a stroke and being able to act quickly.

“We would like to extend our best wishes to John for his continued recovery.”

The Stroke – Act FAST campaign is aimed at helping people recognise the signs of stroke, which include a drooping face, being unable to raise arms, slurred speech and a burning headache.