TWO years ago Jasmine West was an active 25-year-old.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
She had three jobs and was a self-confessed fitness fanatic.
However, that all changed one day at work when she was feeling faint.
"I was at work putting stock away when I suddenly felt very faint," she said.
"Knowing I wouldn't be found where I was, I stumbled to the entrance of the staff room where I collapsed."
Her colleagues found her and she immediately went to the Warrnambool emergency department, where doctors believed she was suffering from vertigo.
Ms West was released from hospital and when she got home she immediately went to sleep.
"After that I don't remember much but apparently I woke up about 2am in the morning," she said.
"I was crying - having an out of body experience."
Her boyfriend at the time said her speech was slurred and she was having difficulty walking.
"I think I had a shower and vomited a few times and then my boyfriend rushed me to hospital," she said.
Doctors continued to monitor her and her condition deteriorated.
Ms West was flown to St Vincent's hospital in Melbourne where doctors discovered a clot in her neck had led to a stroke.
She has no memory of the next few months when she was on life support with a tracheotomy to help her breathe.
When she did eventually wake up, Ms West had locked-in syndrome.
"I was completely locked in my own body," she said.
"I knew what was going on around me but all I could do was blink. I couldn't move, I couldn't eat, I couldn't drink - nothing."
Ms West said doctors gave her little chance of recovering from the stroke.
"I was given a trachea, and that was really do or die," she said.
"At the same time she was battling pneumonia, so I had to come off that."
Ms West said it was incredibly frustrating to be unable to communicate.
However, as the months passed by she eventually regained some movement but was still unable to speak.
"I was still on my trachea and I was weaning off but I still couldn't make any sound. I eventually got a letter board where I could point to letters but I can't spell so I don't know what came out," she laughed.
Ms West said even then it was difficult to communicate.
"One night I remember I had slid down my bed and my feet were squashed. It was so painful. I woke up in pain because my feet were squashed and all I could do was cry. The nurse came and found me and I just wanted to be lifted up in the bed but instead she gave me some Endone. It was really tough."
Two years later, Ms West is slowly but surely putting the pieces of her life back together. She has limited mobility and uses a walking stick, but she is regaining her independence and recently completed a certificate four in mental health.
She recently returned to boxing and goes for regular walks with her whippet Penny.
"Penny and I walk most days," she said.
Her next goal is to run again.
Ms West said she now had a new outlook on life.
"I do think I enjoy each day - I don't really take anything for granted."
Ms West said strokes were a lot more common than people realised and your life could change in the blink of an eye. She hopes to one day become an advocate for people who have gone through a traumatic experience or who battle mental illness.
She also wants to create a group for young people in Warrnambool to talk about what they've been through.
Ms West invited anyone interested to come along to the inaugural meeting at the Pavilion at noon on March 15.
You can also find her on Facebook.