Before his stroke Nelspruit truck driver Boy Ngcamane could not imagine a life not on the road but a life spent behind the wheel took its toll, he said.

“Because I was always on the road I ignored all the important risk factors for stroke by eating fast food that was oily and fried,” Boy said. “It never crossed my mind that my life was in danger when I ate fast food… not even once did I take the time to check my blood pressure.”

Ngcamane’s life was turned upside down after his stroke last year but he says that never stopped him from seeing the road to recovery – thanks to his family.

His son, Sam, remembers the day the family got the call that Boy had collapsed at his work and was in hospital.

“Because we were not given enough information we started panicking and asking ourselves, ‘what if he doesn’t make it?’” Sam told OurHealth.“Never In a million years did we think our only breadwinner win would suffer a stroke but he did.”

Last Wednesday marked World Stroke Day aimed at raising awareness about the condition.

Reducing a person’s intake of fats and salts and regular exercise can all decrease a person’s risk of stroke, according to professional nurse Nhlanhla Nkosi, who also advises people to regularly check their blood pressure.

Almost 400 South Africans between the ages of 15 and 24 years died from strokes in 2000, the latest date for which this type of data is available. About 600 South Africans in their early 20s and 30s died of stroke that same year.

Stroke takes it toll on family

After his stroke, Boy was left unable to walk and had memory problems. He was like a child, said Boy’s wife, Delly Mbatha.[quote float=”right”]“I always knew I had to push myself more so that I could walk again and at the end it paid off because I am walking,”

“Relationships and friendship was tested from the moment my husband suffered from stroke because he became like a child,” she said. “We, as the family, had to teach him things he already knew.”

“I don’t want to lie, there were times when I wanted to give up – not for myself – but for him because I saw the pain in his eyes,” Mbatha added. Boy also struggled to adjust to life after his stroke.

“At first, I was ashamed when people greeted me because I couldn’t recognise their faces or remember names,” Boy said. “At the same time I couldn’t let my whole life just end. Reconnecting with my inner self and my family made me want to fight for my life and overcome my fair of dying.”

He eventually re-learned how to walk.

“I always knew I had to push myself more so that I could walk again and at the end it paid off because I am walking,” he told OurHealth. “I may be slow but, surely, I can get from point A to point B.”

Mbatha credited her close-knit family for Boy’s recovery.

“I’m glad our family was strong enough to put up with such challenge,” she said.“We may have struggled to get where we are today but the important thing is that we all survived the stroke”.

An edited version of this story was also published in the 7 November edition of Khanyisa Media.