A Co Armagh man is seeking to educate the public on some of the common misconceptions about strokes.
Former HGV driver Jason Brown from Richhill was 45 when he attempted to lift a heavy object and triggered the medical emergency in 2020.
"My stroke occurred when I tore the veins in my neck. I lifted a heavy package, well tried to lift it," he recalled.
"I didn't really think it was a stroke at the time, I sort of felt dizzy but I thought it was low blood sugar or something, I didn't think anything of it."
After driving home he went to bed before waking up a short time later.
"It was just this immense pain, I was really really dizzy, like I was on a merry-go-round and couldn't get off," he said.
"I had this awful, awful pain in my head, like brain freeze but 10 times worse, and I couldn't really move."
Jason rang 999 and when paramedics arrived they initially believed he was drunk, as he was still able to speak.
But once taken to hospital a doctor confirmed a stroke and he was transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital, where he remained for several weeks.
Jason had to re-learn basic tasks, including how to sit up and walk, and slowly regained his vision.
Prior to falling ill, he had been fit and healthy.
He added: "The doctor told me that you get a stroke from napping on the sofa if your neck is in the wrong place. People don't realise how easily it can happen, plenty of people are healthy and they can still take one.
"A stroke totally changes everything in your life.
"You are thinking about going for dinner with your friends or painting the living room at the weekend, then you get a stroke and you can't do any of that.
"I think lots of people, including me before I had a stroke, think that it's just something that happens to elderly people and they go into a nursing home and that's sort of just a circle of life, and at a certain age these things happen.
"You can just go on about your day and you really don't think it's possible at 45 -- but, really, it can happen to anyone."
Jason feels there are many common misconceptions about the condition, which can be caused by a clot or bleed within the brain.
While acknowledging he struggled physically and mentally afterwards, he believes the former is prioritised.
He added: "I think the NHS really focuses on the physical side of things, but it's about 80% mental and 20% physical.
"I remember during Covid I had a stroke nurse coming out to me and she'd say: 'What do you need?'
"I'd just say: 'Will you just stay and talk to me?' Because that's all I wanted; you are so lonely and so frustrated that you can't do the things you used to.
He thinks more should be done to support people in the aftermath of having a stroke.
He said: "People think: 'Oh, you're OK, you get your disability and you don't have to worry about money'.
"But it takes months for that to come in and the bills don't stop. My PIP is up for renewal soon and you are just constantly worried they're going to take it away."
The Stroke Association provided invaluable support to Jason, and he is extremely grateful.
"They come out here and they fill in all the forms, based on what I'm saying. They really help you the best they can, because once you have a stroke you can't be filling out those forms," he said.
Ahead of World Stroke Day on Wednesday, the charity has released statistics on the public's lack of knowledge about the long-term impact.
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The data reveals that around 64% of people don't know that strokes are the leading cause of life-changing disabilities in the UK.
While Jason continues to live with the consequences of his stroke, he is thankful for his family and friends, especially his daughter Ellie, who was 13 at the time.
He explained: "Really, what got me through it was thinking of my daughter.
"I wanted to walk again for her and I was so frustrated I wasn't able to do more with her and provide for her more."
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Now 18, Ellie dreams of becoming a nurse and supporting people in a similar situation to her dad, who added: "She's just got so much empathy in her for everyone around her."