'I collapsed on the bathroom floor one day... I can't remember much over the next few weeks'

Daniel Hulston was just 32 when he suffered a stroke caused by a major brain bleed. He was hospitalised for seven months.

Daniel, now 33, was looking after his daughter at home in Bury when he collapsed on the bathroom floor in 2022. He was rushed to surgery and doctors operated on his brain bleed. The vessel that burst was something Daniel was born with and could have happened at any time.

He said: "I thought I was having a heart attack. I called 999 and told them I couldn't move and that I felt like I was dying. After that I honestly can't remember much at all until I woke up in intensive care a few weeks later."

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Daniel spent seven months at Salford Royal hospital before continuing his recovery with rehabilitation at Fairfield and Bury. He has been left with drop foot, is partially paralysed, is unable to use his left arm and foot, and has 'serious cognitive and mental problems. The impact on his mental health is 'one of the toughest challenges', he said.

"I felt like I had to start again after my stroke," Daniel added. "I was in a wheel chair and not in a good place at all. During my recovery I had so many falls, it was so deflating and it had a massive affect on me mentally, too. I was very depressed and in a dark and lonely place."

Daniel said the support of his loved ones got him through - and kept him motivated. Whenever he wanted to give up and had 'no fight' left, he reminded himself he was was doing it for his loved ones, as well as himself.

Daniel said: "I look at the people around me that care about me and see what it means to them - this isn't just about me anymore."

For extra motivation, he shot videos to track and document