On an ordinary Wednesday, 13 September, Steve Morris, a well-known Kiama resident, found himself in a life-threatening situation. His story is a testament to the importance of quick thinking and intervention when faced with a stroke, often referred to as a "brain attack."

On that morning Steve had dropped his wife Stacey to the train station as she was heading to Sydney to see the Tina Turner show. Then, as per his usual routine, he went to Central Perk for a coffee and to read the paper. There was no indication that he was about to have a massive stroke.

A stroke, also known as a cerebral vascular accident (CVA), occurs when the flow of blood to brain cells is interrupted, often due to a haemorrhage or blood clot, depriving the brain of oxygen. Quick intervention is critical.

Steve Morris is a rugby league legend who played 180 games for the Dragons from 1979 and 58 matches for the Eastern Suburbs Roosters until 1990. He represented Australia in 1978 while playing for a NSW Country team. His twin sons Brett and Josh Morris played in the NRL for many years and represented Australia.  

At 10am Steve arrived at Central Perk with his kids and met some friends for coffee and a chat. After his friends and kids left, Steve was sitting reading the paper. Around 10:45 he experienced sudden weakness and disorientation, dropped his keys on the ground and couldn’t manage to pick them up. His body wouldn’t respond to his thoughts.

A fellow café patron was a Roosters supporter and admired the fact that he was sitting behind Steve, a notable former Roosters player. He noticed Steve slumping and approached him to help but Steve couldn’t answer. The man recognised the signs of a stroke, so straight away he called Cameron Thomas, the café proprietor, and an ex-policeman with first aid training, who promptly called the ambulance and gave the appropriate care according to the F.A.S.T. protocol.

The acronym FAST (Facial drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulties and Time) has been used by the National Stroke Association to educate the public on detecting symptoms of a stroke.

At 11:00am the Ambulance arrived and took Steve to Wollongong Hospital for stabilisation. By 4:00pm Steve was in surgery at Prince of Wales Hospital to retrieve the clots in his brain.

Just over two weeks later, the neurosurgeons are impressed with ex-professional footballer Steve’s recovery. But at age 66, to have come through this episode so well, Steve and his family know how fortunate he is. 

Steve’s recovery is quite remarkable, even after surgery, when Stacey was finally able to see Steve, she said that he was a little groggy but “was cracking jokes about not wanting to go to rehab – just like Amy Winehouse!”

Stacey said, “I don’t think that Steve had realised the impact. He said that he had no pain. He really didn’t know what was happening.”

No one really knows why this stroke happened. Steve is not overweight, and he doesn’t smoke. He may love a beer or two but drinks moderately. Steve and Stacey had only just returned from a wonderful holiday in the Whitsundays, so it wasn’t due to stress.

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Things are almost back to normal for Steve. Stacey says that due to him being a former footy player he has had a lot of knocks on the head. Stacey reveals, “Sometimes there is a bit of confusion, and it can take a minute for him to answer, and he repeats himself a lot, but the doctors have said that this is completely normal – especially at this stage of his recovery.”

The doctors think that Steve will make a full recovery. However, they had been honest with Stacey when she arrived at the hospital, saying that it could go either way. It’s impossible to predict the outcome of head injury and stroke - only time will tell. 

Steve’s advice: “Live healthy, exercise a bit, take your meds, and enjoy your life.”

Stacey is so grateful for all the wonderful help her husband received. Having gone through this shock and the stark realisation about the value of life, she’s bought the sports car that she’s always wanted, which both she and Steve are now thoroughly enjoying. “If not now, then when?” she said.

Stacey said that Steve keeps saying that he knows how lucky he is. Two clots were found. The surgeons discovered the first and then found another as they explored further. Steve puts it down to great timing: he was lucky to have received quick and appropriate first aid, and a quick response from the ambulance, followed by prompt surgery.