A MOTHER who had a stroke seven weeks after having a baby has thanked the hospital team that helped her make a full recovery.

Joanne Davies, from Chester-le-Street, was initially taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead when she suffered the stroke.

She was transferred to Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary and, after a CT scan, it was decided the blood clot was too big to treat with conventional drugs only. She underwent a thrombectomy and was given clot-busting medication and left hospital just five days later, with no ill effects.

Mrs Davies said: “The nurses, doctors, everyone was brilliant. Because it was a weekend, the team were called in specially to perform the operation. They answered any questions I had and reassured me every step of the way.”

Mrs Davies, husband James and daughter Isla were special guests an event to mark the Newcastle hyperacute stroke team’s second anniversary on Wednesday.

Since merging the services from Gateshead and Newcastle together at the RVI, the unit has become the best performing of its kind in the region.

Dr Anand Dixit, lead stroke physician, said: “Treatment for managing strokes has been revolutionised in recent years. Early recognition of stroke symptoms, rapid hospitalisation and quicker advanced scanning helps identify patients suitable for advanced treatments.

“The development of the specialist hyperacute stroke unit at Newcastle has resulted in a number of advantages, including rapid diagnostic and specialist assessments.“Newcastle stroke services have been at the forefront of research and development of stroke recognition tools, including the ACT-FAST campaign which has now been rolled out nationally.”