a complete success. One could
sense the pleasure of the staff !”
Mary and Tom aren’t
strangers to stroke. Their
granddaughter, who lives in
London, suffered a stroke when
she was 7 years old. Although
this procedure wasn’t available
in London at that time, Mary
hopes that people will read her
story and know that “stroke can
happen at any age, to anyone.”
(n.b. One quarter of all stroke
victims are under the age of 65)With your support, the
Neurological Foundation can
continue to fund this important
role long into the future. Every
dollar you kindly donate will
help make a real change in the
lives of people like you, because
the life we save tomorrow might
be yours.
Research saves lives. Donate today.
neurological.org.nz/donateE
ach year in New Zealand,
over 9000 people will
suffer a stroke. Using
the Endovascular Clot
Retrieval method, many
of these people could return
home unharmed provided they
reach medical attention quickly.
Around six hours following a
stroke, brain tissue dies off and
damage becomes irreversible, so
fast response is essential.
In 2008, the Neurological
Foundation established theChair of Clinical Neurology
to bridge the gap between
neuroscience and neurology.
The theory behind this strategy
was that patient outcomes
would improve if researchers
could work alongside clinicians.
Clinical chair, Professor
Alan Barber, has proven the
theory correct, bridging the
gap between universities and
hospitals and leading the roll
out of clot retrieval in New
Zealand, with stroke units
performing the procedure
now set up in Wellington and
Christchurch. Today, almostevery New Zealander is within a
helicopter ride of this life-saving
procedure.A Real Life Example
On October 25, 2018, 86-year-
old Tom (Thomas) Curham
suffered a stroke and was rushed
to Auckland Hospital where
he received a clot retrieval
procedure. His wife, Mary Barry
Curham, didn’t know that when
she agreed to the procedure, shehad just agreed to Tom receiving
a ground-breaking technique
that Neurological Foundation
Chair of Clinical Neurology
Professor Alan Barber has been
perfecting for the last 11 years,
which ultimately saved Tom’s
life.
While Tom was out for a walk
on that October day with carer
Carla, he began to feel dizzy and
unwell. Shortly after, a retired
New Zealand Army medic was
driving by on his motorcycle
and told Carla to immediately
call an ambulance as he
recognised Tom’s symptoms asa stroke. Tom and Carla were
rushed to Auckland Hospital
and met by Tom’s wife Mary.
“When the surgeon was there
with Tom, me and my two
friends, he said, ‘Tom, blink’, and
Tom couldn’t blink. The surgeon
then asked Tom to say his name
and he couldn’t say his name,”
she said. “The surgeon looked
at him closely and this slide was
on one side of his face.” Mary
remembered that this was one of
the indications of a stroke.“[I] didn’t know about the
procedure, the first I knew
about it was when I was
standing in the reception area
of the ambulance bay. ‘Time
is of the essence’ [the surgeon
told me], ‘and I need to have
your permission to do this
procedure.’ Mary immediately
said, “yes, go!” everyone started
to move quickly. “The doctor
was running with the bed”, and
after what seemed like a very
short period of time, Tom was
being wheeled back to the ward.
“We were told the unbelievable- that the procedure had been
SPONSORED CONTENT
Bridging the gap between
neuroscience and neurology
Professor
Alan BarberMary
and Tom
CurhamClot
Retrieval
device