If brain cells are killed off, patients can be left with disabilities and require physiotherapy and rehabilitation. ‘The ability of the brain to recover from the damage of a stroke is greater in people who are younger like Laura – but it’s a long journey of physical and psychological recovery with setbacks along the way,’ says Professor James.

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If caught early, ischaemic strokes can be treated with medication to dissolve the blood clot and restore blood supply.

But these drugs have to be given within four hours of a stroke occurring in order to be effective.

‘These type of strokes more commonly cause symptoms such as dizziness, difficulty speaking and visual disturbance, which don’t always get picked up using the common “FAST” check,’ she explains. The acronym recognises the common signs of stroke: facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems.

‘Around 20 per cent of strokes affect the back part of the brain when blood flow is affected to areas such as the cerebellum, brainstem [which regulates breathing and heart rate], and certain lobes that impact vision, memory and speech.

And while the number of new stroke cases diagnosed yearly has dropped in older age groups over the last ten to 20 years, it has doubled in those under 55, say researchers from the University of Oxford, who recently launched a study to try to understand the reasons behind this rise.