Stroke survivor saved after speaking 'gibberish' on call

Updated / Wednesday, 28 Oct 2026 11:29

A man is urging people to be aware of the stroke symptoms after he was saved by a colleague who noticed he was speaking "complete gibberish" on a work call.

Kieran O'Carroll, who lives in Co Cavan and is originally from Dublin, was working from home when his co-worker recognised that his speech "was not normal".

"She later told me that I sounded giddy, almost like a cross between being confused and intoxicated.

"My words were completely jumbled, but I had no idea anything was wrong. Thankfully, she recognised immediately this was not normal," Mr O’Carroll said.

"Whatever I said was complete gibberish.

"I thought I was replying normally, but it was not coherent at all," he said.

His colleague drove to his house, and when she arrived, Mr O'Carroll’s face had dropped on one side, and she brought him to Cavan General Hospital.

Mr O'Carroll suffered an ischemic stroke in April 2022, caused by a small opening between the upper chambers of the heart which failed to close naturally after birth.

It led to a blockage in the middle cerebral artery and cut off blood supply to his brain.

Today marks World Stroke Day and the Irish Heart Foundation is calling on people to become familiar with the FAST (Face, Arm, Speech and Time) acronym in identifying a stroke.

"I wasn't prepared to lose my independence," Mr O’Carroll said.

"My three children were my focus that day. I didn't want my relationship with them to end with me unable to fulfil my responsibilities as a father," he added.

Mr O’Carroll spent ten days in hospital and began an intensive programme of occupational and speech therapy in the Mater Hospital.

He was then treated in the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire.

Mr O’Carroll has since had a heart procedure to repair the opening in his heart chambers.

After completing the Irish Heart Foundation’s Fatigue Management Course, he receives weekly calls from a peer-support volunteer and is a member of the charity’s Young Stroke Survivors’ Network, which is a support community for stroke survivors aged under 65.

Consultant Physician and Geriatrician and Chair of the Irish Heart Foundation’s Stroke Council Dr Rachael Doyle said "time is crucial in limiting the damage that stroke causes".

"Recognising the signs and calling 112 or 999 immediately are important steps as every minute counts," she said.

"Kieran’s experience also highlights how aftercare and support is essential following a serious medical event like stroke.

"The Irish Heart Foundation has support services for people living with stroke, their families and carers across the country. These and new events for World Stroke Day can be found on irishheart.ie," Dr Doyle added.