A FORMER paramedic's training helped save his life when he managed to diagnose himself as he was suffering a stroke.
Having responded to plenty of similar calls during his 25-year career with London Ambulance Service, Paul Schofield, 49, knew exactly what was happening when he felt his left side go numb on June 24 last year.
He got his mother to call for an ambulance and, as he began to lose control of his airway, was rushed to King's College Hospital's stroke ward.
"I had no speech, I had no control of my left arm and left leg," Paul said.
After a "fantastic" stay at Croydon University Hospital, and months of gruelling physiotherapy, Paul, set his sights on conquering the hills near his house and walks through South Norwood Country Park.
"I got transferred to Mayday, and I was a bit reluctant to go there, but I was told the stroke unit was very good," he said.
"They were right; they were absolutely fantastic, all the staff were brilliant.
"Since I moved back to Upper Norwood, physios took me up and down the streets and the first time I managed to walk up one of the hills; that was a really big achievement for me."
Paul still has to walk with the help of a stick though he finds it difficult to travel, especially when he has to negotiate trains or escalators.
"I have found it quite hard because I've gone from being very active to nothing and from nothing to mobile again," he said. "But I do my exercises every day and I've been quite determined. Doctors say it normally takes two or three years to get back. I've lost four stone altogether."
Paul said more people need to be aware of the signs of stroke, as it can happen at all ages and every second saved can limit its impact.
He explained: "I was only 48, and it even happens to children. When I was a paramedic I dealt with some stroke cases which totally threw me, I even helped a four-year-old who had a stroke.
"Obviously, there are different types of stroke. It does happen to younger people, but it's most commonly in people between 60 and 80.
"The signs can be obvious to some. I immediately diagnosed it being a paramedic, but the whole world needs to know.
"It's quite easily diagnosed and it helps because every second counts."
Paul, who retired as a paramedic before his stroke, is now set for a job working for a rail company, and also hopes to return to Florida to help with a mentoring scheme.
