Matlila Stacey first felt unwell while visiting relatives in the USA

A football-mad schoolgirl suffered two devastating strokes after medics reportedly dismissed her symptoms as a sinus infection and a dead leg.

Matilda Stacey, 13, was visiting relatives in the USA when she began complaining of a headache that "was not a normal headache". Doctors diagnosed the youngster with a sinus condition, gave her fluids and antibiotics and told her she was fit to fly home, her family said.

But after returning to the UK, Matilda's condition continued to worsen. She was unable to eat or drink, felt exhausted and could "barely lift her head without pain".

After landing at Heathrow, the family had an overnight layover before flying back to the North East, where Matilda was rushed to Newcastle A&E on August 16, 2024. Just two days later, on her mum Kimberly's birthday, she noticed something even more alarming.

She said: "My left leg suddenly went numb. I remember thinking, that shouldn’t happen."

First warning sign

Recalling the first warning sign, Matilda added: "It just felt wrong. It wasn’t a normal headache. It was constant."

She told nurses about the numbness, but claims it was initially dismissed as a dead leg. In reality, the schoolgirl was suffering a stroke.

The following day Matilda's speech became jumbled, her thoughts scrambled and while the right side of her body moved uncontrollably, the left side remained unresponsive.

Mum Kimberly, from Morpeth, Northumberland, said: "It was terrifying. She couldn’t explain what was happening. She or I couldn’t even understand it.

"We felt frustrated that no one could explain what was happening. We felt like we had lost her, Matilda wasn’t there with us."

As her condition deteriorated, Matilda was transferred to paediatric intensive care. Doctors made a devastating discovery that the infection she had been battling had spread to her brain.

Teaching assistant Kimberly, 51, said: "They discovered that the infection Matilda had been fighting hadn’t stayed where it was supposed to. It had spread through her meninges, the protective layers around the brain, causing vasculitis.

"We were told Matilda was at high risk of another catastrophic stroke. We were warned not to get our hopes up."

Intensive care and emergency surgery

Matilda spent two weeks in intensive care, where she underwent emergency sinus surgery. During that time she suffered another stroke.

But in an encouraging sign, the teenager began asking for a chocolate milkshake, giving her family hope she was becoming herself again. After leaving intensive care, Matilda remained in hospital for another two months as she underwent what her family described as a "slow, controlled and relentless" recovery.

She had to learn to walk, talk, eat and even kick a football again. Matilda also missed the first two months of high school. Now, after months of determination and rehabilitation, she is back playing grassroots football and represents Newcastle United's Cerebral Palsy football team.

She said: "I’ve had to work so much harder than before. But I’m getting there."

Recovery

The inspirational teenager has also completed her Bronze Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Kimberly, who also has a son William, 18, with husband Robert, 44, said: "We weren’t sure if she could do it. Finishing it has made us realise how strong she is and how much she can still do."

For Matilda, getting back on the pitch has been one of her greatest victories.

She said: "Being back on the pitch means everything to me. It reminds me that my life didn’t end when I had my stroke.

"People think strokes only happen to older people. But they can happen to anyone. Even kids."

Matilda is now sharing her story as part of the Stroke Association's Survival Is Not Enough campaign and hopes it will encourage greater understanding of young stroke survivors.

She said: "Just because you’re back at school or look okay doesn’t mean you’re fine. It doesn’t just stop. I want people to be more empathetic. You never know what someone has been through."

The Stroke Association’s campaign ‘Survival is Not Enough’ aims to drive awareness of the impact of stroke and support a two-part documentary series commissioned by Channel 4, in partnership with the charity: ‘Trauma: My Broken Brain’. The series follows three young adults, Dan, Saskia and Dec, through the fight of their lives after a life-threatening stroke. It is available to stream on Channel 4.