A simple sneeze left a young man unable to move from the neck down after he suffered a stroke with none of the classic warning signs.
Daniel Tann was just 41 when he suffered a right basal ganglia stroke after leaving work, before collapsing at his Brisbane home in July 2024.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Stroke survivor’s bold new dream after life-changing ordeal
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There was no facial drooping or obvious weakness to warn him something was seriously wrong.
“I literally sneezed and I felt a tingle going down my face,” he told 7NEWS. By the time he got home, he had lost all movement from the neck down.
“I just could not move,” he said.
Unable to reach his phone, Tann used Siri to call triple-0.
His two dogs, Hugo and Snowy, stayed by his side, barking and helping keep him awake until paramedics arrived.
Tann spent five months in hospital, with the stroke leaving him with limited movement on his dominant left side.
The Stroke Foundation said a stroke can happen to people of any age and symptoms can vary, urging people to think F.A.S.T. and call emergency services immediately if they notice the following signs:
- F — Face: Check if their face has drooped.
- A — Arms: Can they raise both arms?
- S — Speech: Is their speech slurred or unusual?
- T — Time: If you notice any of these signs, call triple-0 immediately.
Searching for ways to get out and reconnect with life, Daniel discovered a Paralympic “come and try” day and picked up a bow for the first time.
Now he is training almost every day, using a specially designed shoulder harness to help him draw the bow.
The rehabilitation has now evolved into something much bigger, with Tann listed in Australian archery rankings as a Para male Compound competitor.
With a harness around his shoulders and a release mechanism controlled near his mouth, Tann has adapted the bow to work with the body he has now.
He has his sights set on the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, hoping to one day represent Australia.
For coach Sarah Fuller, watching that transformation has been a highlight of Tann’s recovery.
“He’s just really progressed, not only in his rehabilitation but also in his archery as well. It’s been really cool journey to watch.”
Kelvin Hill from the Stroke Foundation said Tann’s story was an example of how life can continue after a stroke. “What a remarkable individual. And we hear many of those stories here at the Stroke Foundation of people who pick themselves up and have a life after strokes,” he said.
The stroke has changed almost every part of Tann’s life but it has also opened a door to something he never imagined. “Life’s great, but yeah, it just looks a little bit different to where I thought I would be,” he said.
