Action on Stroke Month 2025: Welsh study to improve post-stroke care and awareness

30 April

To mark Action on Stroke Month in May, we hear from a Flintshire man whose life changed dramatically after suffering a stroke and who is now helping shape a research project aimed at improving post-stroke care and prevention.

Peter Hooper, 64, had been active and fit until he suffered the stroke on a Sunday morning in June 2020 at home in Cheshire. Peter said: “The stroke came completely out of the blue, as I was regularly running, swimming and cycling.

“I was incredibly lucky that my wife realised quickly I was having a stroke. I was taken straight to a major stroke centre and had a thrombectomy, where they removed a blood clot from my vein within a few hours of the stroke. I was back on my feet and walked out of hospital the following day.”

Peter became a public contributor to help improve stroke care in a study led by Dr Jonathan Hewitt, a member of the National Cardiovascular Research Network (NCRN), funded by Health and Care Research Wales.

The study aims to develop treatment plans, to ensure that stroke survivors are on the right treatment, at the right dose to help prevent further strokes and improve care.

After his stroke, Peter soon realised that there were numerous opportunities to get involved in stroke research via the Stroke Association and Health and Care Research Wales.

Since then, Peter has actively engaged in studies focused on stroke prevention, acute care, rehabilitation and mental health.

He said: “With my background in work and my experience of a stroke, I feel I have something useful to contribute to studies. I got involved in a few stroke research projects as a public or patient member of advisory groups, supporting the researchers.”