Schoolgirl, 11, suffers a STROKE after falling off her bed and banging her head

September 28, 2015  23:48

It was a seemingly innocuous fall, a trip backwards off her bed.

But for Shannon Manning the freak accident was to prove life-changing.

At the age of 11, she suffered a stroke - one of only 10 children each year in the UK to be struck by the potentially life-threatening condition.

The force of the fall split a blood vessel in her brain, triggering a bleed.

A headache was the first sign. But, an hour-and-a-half later her mother Andrea Wilkinson realised something was seriously wrong with her daughter when the left side of her face dropped.

The stroke left the now 12-year-old paralysed down the left side of her body, and left her needing months of gruelling therapy to walk again.

But, despite the odds stacked against her, Shannon has been discharged from hospital and managed to walk unaided to her year six leaver's party. 

Ms Wilkinson, 33, said: 'You expect a stroke to affect an older person.

'While I already suspected it, it was a shock to have it confirmed by a doctor at the hospital.

'But Shannon has done absolutely brilliantly - from day one she has pushed herself and done it all with a smile on her face.

'She has never got upset over what happened, she has taken it all in her stride.'

Shannon was playing with her siblings when she fell backwards off her bed.

After complaining of a headache, an hour-and-a-half later the 11-year-old's face dropped.

She was being sick and struggled to talk properly.

Her family didn't realise it at the time, but the left side of Shannon's body had become paralysed. 

She was taken to Alder Hey Children's Hospital in Liverpool, where CT and MRI scans confirmed her parents' worst fears.

Shannon had suffered a stroke, a bleed on her brain triggered when the force of the fall severed a blood vessel.

After two days in intensive care on a ventilator, she was transferred to a neurological ward where she remained for more than four months, before she was discharged in April.  

Shannon's stroke in December saw her paralysed down the left side of her body and she needed months of gruelling therapy to be able to walk again.

In a show of strength, Shannon managed to juggle regular hydrotherapy and physiotherapy with studying and her hard work paid off when she achieved top marks in her SAT exams in May. 

And, after being forced to re-learn how to walk, she managed to join her classmates at her end of year party in July.   

She now manages to walk around at her new high school, although still spends longer journeys in a wheelchair and has facial weakness and problems with her left hand.

Ms Wilkinson, an operations team worker and mother-of-four, said: 'Before her stroke, Shannon enjoyed singing in a choir, reading and playing computer games with her friends.

'She's currently unable to do these things, but has worked with real determination to improve her attention and concentration, and she's thrown herself into reading and doing her school work.

'Seeing Shannon walk again I was so happy and proud - but at the same time I was thinking she is 11, and she has to do this again. It was like going back to being a baby again for her.

'We're so proud of how far she has come and how she is overcoming the emotional impact of a long-term condition.'

Doctors do not know whether Shannon will fully regain mobility, and the next operation in a few months' time will be to inject Botox into her hand to improve its movement.

In May, she was invited to the semi-final of Britain's Got Talent as a guest of Simon Cowell.

Shannon also recently received a special award from the Stroke Association in recognition of her courage and positivity.

She said: 'It has been difficult but I am OK. Next I want to be able to move my hand properly. I have tried to be positive.

'It has helped just knowing that I had done everything and that I am getting better.

'I was really proud to get the award.' 

Dr Anne Gordon, consultant occupational therapist at the Evelina London Children’s hospital said: 'Many people think strokes only happen to older people, so a stroke in a baby or child can come as a big shock. Families often don’t know where to turn for support.

'In fact, around 400 childhood strokes occur in the UK each year – that’s more than one a day.

'It’s important to know the signs of stroke in children. Seizures are a common symptom in babies up to 28 days old. 

'Between 28 days and 18 years, the symptoms can be the same as adults and may include weakness or paralysis on one side, facial drooping, speech problems, headaches and vomiting.

'Childhood strokes are caused by very different factors to adult strokes.

'They can be linked to an infection, underlying heart condition or a problem with the way blood clots or is supplied to the brain. Each child who has had a stroke will be assessed to identify their risk factors.

'If there’s a risk of further stroke, doctors will aim to minimise this, perhaps through medication or surgery.

'Getting support and access to therapy and rehabilitation is often a priority for families after a stroke.'

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