Young girl’s quick-thinking saves Brisbane dad’s life who had stroke

Seven-year-old Vivian saved her dad’s life after leaping into action when he suffered a stroke at their Rochedale home.

7-year-old Vivian Vo helped her father Tien Vo when he suffered a stroke in April. Picture: Tara Croser.

Seven-year-old Vivian saved her dad’s life after leaping into action when he suffered a stroke at their Rochedale home.

Vivian quickly grabbed the phone and dialled triple 0 when dad Tien Vo collapsed in his bedroom and wouldn’t get up.

Mr Vo said he was reading a science journal when he suffered the stroke that started out with a sharp, painful headache in April.

“I went to get a drink of water, worked my way into the kitchen and it started dribbling out the side of my mouth,” he said.

“I thought … ‘I know what this is.”

The Brisbane scientist said he made the “really poor choice” to try to “sleep it off” and walked to his bedroom where he suddenly collapsed onto the floor.

“It was a bad idea,” he said.

“My daughter came out and brought me a pillow and a blanket.

“She asked if I was going to get up and I said no, then she grabbed the phone.”

7-year-old Vivian Vo with her mother Phuong Ly and father Tien Vo. Picture: Tara Croser.

Mr Vo was rushed to the Princess Alexandra Hospital where doctors diagnosed him with a blood clot that cut off oxygen to his brain, causing the stroke.

A stroke impacts nearly 2 million brain cells every minute but, thanks to the quick thinking of his daughter and brother-in-law who returned home during the call, 34-year-old Mr Vo was able to receive quick treatment and made a full recovery.

Neurologist at the Princess Alexandra Hospital Dr Michael Devlin said while strokes were extremely common, age indiscriminate, and deadly, 80 per cent were preventable.

“With stroke onset, there’s no warning, whether your old or young, they happen all at one, all of a sudden with no warning,” he said.

“Quite a large area of the brain has been injured which can lead to complications like reduced consciousness, inability to eat by themselves, pneumonia.

“That's why it’s crucial that as soon a sign happens, people phone the ambulance and the get to a hospitals.

“But the best stroke is the one that’s prevented.”

Mr Vo underwent rigorous testing to determine what caused his stroke but the tests were inconclusive.

He has now shifted his focus on improving his personal health to reduce his chance of another stroke.

“I’m eating healthier, moving more, walking up the stairs, sleeping better, trying to live a healthier life,” he said.

The Stroke Foundation estimates there will be 819,900 Australians living with stroke in 2050, an increase of more than 50,000 new strokes occurring annually.

A national stroke awareness survey last year revealed an alarming 36 per cent of Brisbane residents could not name a single sign of stroke, nor could 33 per cent of regional Queenslanders.

“If I could give advice it would be that prevention is better than rehabilitation, prioritise your health,” Mr Vo said.

“It could have been a lot worse for me, I know I’m a best-case scenario and I’m just lucky that my daughter didn't panic.”

One in four Australians will have a stroke during their lifetime, including more than 5,300 Queenslanders each year.

Early warning signs of stroke (F.A.S.T):

Face, arms, speech and time.

Face – facial drooping, one sided, lack of muscle control

Arms – can a person lift both of their arms up, do they lift up the same way, to the same height?

Speech – slurred or incoherent

Time – act as quickly as possible