I had a stroke while napping - it was terrifying

A woman who had a stroke while taking a nap has urged others to have their blood pressure checked before it is too late.

Andrea Berry, 58, was aware that she had high blood pressure but said she had no idea this put her at risk.

Stroke is the fourth biggest killer in Wales, costing the Welsh NHS £220m a year.

The number of people having strokes could rise over the next decade if the "postcode lottery" of prevention and care in Wales is not fixed, the Stroke Association has warned.

The Welsh government said with up to 80% of strokes preventable, maintaining a strong focus on prevention was "vital".

Andrea, from Cardiff, was resting after packing for a house move in 2024 when she had a stroke - an experience she described as "terrifying".

"I just didn't understand what was happening to me - you feel like a child in an adult's body when parts of you are shutting down," she said.

"I tried to shout for help but my voice wasn't working."

"My temperature was rising to my head and apparently that's a sign of the blood pressure rising - it feels like a volcano, you're going to explode, but I didn't realise."

Fortunately, Andrea's son recognised the signs of a stroke after seeing adverts on the TV, and called for help.

But there was a four-hour wait for an ambulance, so Andrea's family wrapped her in a duvet cover, carried her to the car and drove her to the hospital themselves.

She received life-saving treatment at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff and has now revamped her lifestyle, lost five stone and feels "so lucky to be alive".

A stroke is a life-threatening medical condition which happens when blood stops flowing to a part of your brain.

It can affect things like speech and movement and take a long time to recover from, according to the NHS.

The main symptoms can happen suddenly and may include facial weakness, arm weakness and slurred speech.

Around 7,000 people in Wales have a stroke every year and it can happen to anyone at any age.

High blood pressure causes around half of all strokes, and being over 50 can also increase the risk.

Marc Lloyd Williams, a Welsh former professional footballer, said he discovered his blood pressure was high in 2016 at the age of 43, but believed it was nothing to worry about.

"I'd been active all day," said Marc.

"I thought the high reading was just because I'd been exercising.

"I didn't follow it up and that was my mistake."

Later that day, Marc noticed weakness in his right arm, but convinced himself it was nothing serious.

"My speech was fine, so I didn't think it could be a stroke," he said.

"You tell yourself the warnings are for other people," he added.

It was only when his wife insisted he seek help that he was rushed to hospital for urgent treatment.

"High blood pressure doesn't care who you are - if something feels wrong, you need to act," he said.

There is concern that as Wales' elderly population grows, more people will experience a stroke.

The Stroke Association said the cost to the Welsh economy of treating and managing the condition was "expected to soar" from £1.63bn a year to £2.8bn by 2035.

Angela Contestabile, from the Stroke Association, said there was also a "postcode lottery across Wales as to who gets treatment, and who gets it when".

She said stroke services have been "declining" since 2019.

"We know that there are some stroke prevention projects going on across Wales, but they're not very joined up and they're not being run nationwide in a targeted way to people who are at higher risk - and that's what we're asking Welsh government to do," she said.

The Welsh Government said it would be publishing an updated Quality Statement for Stroke next week, which would reaffirm its "focus on prevention, 24/7 access to life-saving treatment and better support for people affected" as well as setting out "clear standards for everyone at risk of, or recovering from stroke".

"The Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Plan for Wales shows Wales has the highest cardiovascular disease rates in the UK. With up to 80% of strokes preventable, maintaining a strong focus on prevention is vital and will also reduce heart attacks, diabetes and other vascular conditions such as dementia," a spokesperson added.

Plaid Cymru's health spokesperson, Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, said: "The sad truth is that the treatment and care of people who experience a stroke is declining. Plaid Cymru has also long identified the lack of cooperation between our health boards as a key barrier to improving stroke outcomes. We need better regional working to reduce variations and improve outcomes. If health boards won't do it willingly then we will legislate to ensure that they must work together."

A Reform UK Wales spokesperson said: "Whether it's on strokes, cancer, ambulances or A&E, Labour's mismanagement of our NHS has been a disaster. Wales needs Reform."

The Welsh Conservatives said: "After 27 years, successive Plaid-backed Labour budgets have failed to support our NHS, prioritise preventative health and improve stroke outcomes for patients by cutting ambulance and A&E waits. Only the Welsh Conservatives have a credible plan to fix our NHS and improve stroke prevention. We will declare a health emergency to ensure that adequate resources and the entire apparatus of government prioritises our NHS."