Earlier this year Jerry Murphy contacted the Irish Heart Foundation with a new idea to spread the F.A.S.T. message.  He wanted to promote F.A.S.T. on a Southern 4 Rally Championship. His friend Barry O'Brien is the owner and driver of an Opel Corsa Rallycar and both have come together to highlight the F.A.S.T. campaign.

F.A.S.T. Stands for:

F – Face – has their face fallen on one side?  Can they smile?

A – Arms – Can they raise both arms and keep them there?

S – Speech – is their speech slurred?

T –Time - Call 999 if you spot any single one of these signs.

The first rally on the schedule is the 2011 Ravens Rock Rally. Clerk of the course John Rafter said on hearing the news that the FAST Car would be attended the event “As clerk of the course for the rally I'm delighted to welcome Barry, Jerry and the crew from Cork. They are highlighting a very serious condition and it’s great that Motorsport Sport can play a part. To publicise the car and the work that Jerry is doing we will be honored to invite Barry and the car to the ceremonial start on Saturday night the 25^th and Jerry will also be on hand to give us a background on how his story unfolded and to how the F.A.S.T. campaign can help.”

This is Jerry’s Story: I was working at my job in the post office in Macroom, Co Cork, back in April, 2007, when I had my first “bang” as I called them. I was dealing with customers at the counter when out of the blue; I started having difficulty picking up coins with my right hand. It was a very busy morning and I had a queue of customers out the door, so I kept going as best I could.

When I tried to write up the deposit books, I couldn’t grasp the pen properly. Then another clerk asked me a question and I opened my mouth but nothing came out, so I left the counter and went into the staff room. I tried to tell the cleaner something was wrong, but I couldn’t get any words out. She calmed me down and walked me down the street to the doctor.

The GP called an ambulance and I was taken to Cork University Hospital (CUH) at about 1pm. By the time I was seen by a SHO at 4.45pm, I was back to normal, so I was discharged. I had also had a CAT scan, which came back clear.

At 29 years of age, the last thing you think about is stroke and there was no history of it in my family, but I knew that first day that I was having a stroke. Two weeks later, I was sorting letters at work when I had another attack. My right arm felt heavy and I couldn’t pick up the letters. I felt the power draining from the right side of my body.

The doctor was sent for and I was admitted to CUH, but the symptoms had subsided within two hours and nothing showed up on an MRI or CAT scan. I was put under the care of neurologist Dr Brian Sweeney. Between then and the end of 2007, I was taken to AE eight times by ambulance as a medical emergency. I spent a week in CUH in December after a stronger episode.

After my second episode, I knew what was happening as I had looked up my symptoms on the internet. I was having transient ischaemic attacks (TIAs) or mini-strokes, but I had no diagnosis as nothing was showing up on the scans and, thankfully, there was no residual damage caused to my heart.

I stopped going out in crowds or to matches in case I had an episode. I stayed close to people who knew about my condition. I worried about what would happen if I was on my own and my speech went because I wouldn’t have been able to call an ambulance.

Every time it happened, it was like a stopwatch started ticking in my head. I knew how important it was that I get to hospital as quickly as possible and I knew that if I wasn’t back to normal within 24 hours, I could be in trouble. My episodes were taking longer to pass.

In January 2008, while visiting a family member at Millstreet Hospital, I got my strongest episode yet. I was rushed to CUH where I spent two weeks and was referred to a cardiologist. TIAs were now mentioned for the first time and I was diagnosed with a patent foramen ovale (PFO) in my heart. Babies are born with a normal opening that allows blood to flow between the left and right chambers of the heart. This opening should close naturally soon after birth and when this does not happen, the hole that’s left is called a PFO.

I was put on anti-clotting medication which controlled my condition. Closing the hole through surgery was not an option at this stage, according to my cardiologist, as the medication had things under control.

I had no further attacks until the end of August 2010 when I was on a postal delivery. I spent two weeks in hospital and my right leg was worst affected. I had physio afterwards to get back on my feet and was out of work for a while.

I went back to work in October and thought that first week would never end. I was so tired; I had no energy at all. I was in Macroom shopping when I felt another episode coming on and ended up back in hospital for a week. It was obvious the medication was no longer working at this stage.

I knew there was only one man in the country, Dr Kevin Walsh, a paediatric cardiologist in Dublin who could close the hole. I arranged to have the surgery privately at the Beacon Hospital through the VHI on December 17th last. Dr Walsh implanted a wire mesh device called a PFO occluder into my heart using a catheter. The procedure was a success and I was out of hospital after two nights.

I was put on anti-clotting medication for three months and have had no episodes since the surgery. I am back to work and doing fine at the moment, apart from a slight weakness in my right leg when I’m tired or in cold weather. Before I had the hole closed, I used to be completely breathless after I went for a walk or a cycle. Now, there’s no stopping me.

While I was in hospital, I did some research from my bed and came across the Irish Heart Foundation website, stroke.ie, which I found very helpful. I was very impressed with its FAST (Face, Arms, Speech, Time) campaign, which raises awareness of the signs of stroke and the need to act fast. Stroke can happen to people of all ages, which is why it’s so important for everybody to be aware of the signs and symptoms.

In May 2010, the Irish Heart Foundation launched a 4-year TV and radio advertising F.A.S.T. campaign.

This campaign is being mounted to tackle the frightening lack of public awareness about stroke symptoms in Ireland. In 2009, IHF research showed that less than 50% of Irish adults would ring 999 if they thought they were having a stroke.

The hard hitting images in the TV ad show how quickly a stroke can affect a person. The average stroke destroys roughly two million brain cells every minute. So, the quicker a person gets into hospital after a stroke, the more of their brain can be saved.

Stroke Action’s F.A.S.T. campaign wants to help the public achieve a better understanding of the warning signs of stroke so as to aid in the prevention of stroke.

Stroke is a very serious medical emergency but it can be avoided. If you suspect that someone has had a stroke, you need to call 999 immediately.

When stroke strikes, act F.A.S.T.

The F.A.S.T. acronym was created as a helper for people to remember the main warning signs of stroke so that they can act immediately in the case of a stroke by dialling 999.

F.A.S.T. stands for:

F – Face – has their face fallen on one side?  Can they smile?

A – Arms – Can they raise both arms and keep them there?

S – Speech – is their speech slurred?

T –Time to call 999 if you spot any single one of these signs.

F.A.S.T.  Can help you to rapidly recognise when a stroke is taking place and then act quickly to get medical treatment and help prevent serious damage.

The Irish Heart Foundation's F.A.S.T. campaign