'Fit' Amazon worker's life shattered as mystery stroke leaves him 'feeling 90'
A fit and healthy Amazon worker aged 30 has told how a stroke has "turned his life upside down" and he now feels like a "90-year-old man".
Abdul Ghaffar Ali, from Walsall, was found by his mum, Nusrat Begum, unconscious on the living room floor on December 11, 2022, after he 'collapsed three times' during the night.
Abdul woke up two days later in Wolverhampton's New Cross Hospital, paralysed and without feeling in his right arm and leg. He had suffered a brain bleed, underwent two lumbar punctures - where fluid is taken from between the vertebrae using a needle - and needed major heart surgery six weeks later due to complications from his stroke.
He said that he now feels like a 90-year-old (BPM Media)The former Amazon worker, who was among the top 10 employees at the Rugeley factory, was then moved to West Park Hospital in Wolverhampton for rehabilitation. He stayed there until March 23. Although Abdul can now walk, he usually needs a wheelchair when out and about. He cannot open his right hand, has lost part of his eyesight and sees 'yellow spots'.
He told : "This stroke has turned my life upside down. I turned 30 a couple of months ago and I should be in the prime of my life, but it feels like the opposite. After everything I've endured, I feel like a 90 year old man. I feel like life has passed me by."
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Abdul was due to go on holiday to the United States to celebrate his 30th birthday party, but he had to cancel that trip. He used to enjoy listening to music and writing his own songs, with ambitions of becoming a singer, but he can no longer do that saying it has become "extremely difficult".
He said his "life has been turned upside down" (BPM Media)His mum Nusrat said: "He's got no motivation now, I have to cut his food up. His mental health is suffering and they've taken his driving license off him. This has strained everything. He's got no interests, he just sits there doing nothing."
The sudden stroke was a "shock" to everyone, as Abdul had been in good health and working at Amazon for the past year. "He was working in a factory at night, it was hard work, but he loved it," said Nusrat. "He used to get praise from the line managers, there were 800 people but he was in the top 10 at work, he was doing so well. They used to give him vouchers, he was one of the best workers."
Doctors are still puzzled about what caused Abdul's stroke. "To this day they can't tell us. For two days they couldn't tell us. We were at his bedside, he was waking up and going back to sleep," continued Nusrat. "He had two lumbar punctures, one is painful enough but they didn't take enough of a sample. Everyone is still shocked because of his age, no one knows what happened."
In a heartfelt message on a fundraising page for his treatment, Abdul shared that he can't even watch TV or play on his PlayStation 5, which his family bought for him while he was in hospital. He wrote: "It seems I can't do anything that I used to be able to do and that hurts."
Abdul is raising funds for treatment to restore his eyesight at a hospital abroad and also further aid with his stroke recovery. To donate to the GoFundMe page, click here.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story. You can report any errors to [email protected]
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