‘It felt like my skull was pulled open and boiling water poured on my brain’, says teacher, 31, after stroke in class
Aaron Kent went from being a sport-loving ex-military submariner to being unable to walk or pick his children up
A TEACHER who suffered a stroke in front of a classroom full of children said the pain was so severe it “felt like someone had pulled open his skull and poured boiling water into the crevices of his brain”.
It also came as a major shock. Aaron Kent, 31, was a fit, healthy, sport-loving former military submariner with no prior health problems.
Aaron had been leading a GCSE English lesson on Macbeth in October 2020 when the sudden agony struck.
“The students were engaged in quiet work when I had the pain,” the dad-of-two said.
“It was like someone had pulled open my skull, boiled a kettle, waited for it to whistle, then poured the scalding water over the crevices of my brain.”
Aaron, from Llandysul in Ceredigion, Wales, immediately called a colleague to cover his class while he went to the school reception to ask for paracetamol.
That’s the last thing he remembers. Aaron then woke up a week later.
He had been in a coma, and his wife Emma was reportedly told to plan her husband’s funeral as most people who turn up to A&E in his condition don’t make it.
Thankfully, Aaron, dad to Rue, three, and nine-month-old Otis at the time, did pull through, but his recovery journey wasn’t easy.
He wasn’t able to shower alone, he couldn’t make a cup of tea without supervision, and he had to relearn how to walk.
He also battled terrifying panic attacks and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
“The most painful decision I ever made was to die,” he said.
“I had been out of a coma for about three days when it became clear how complex and difficult the journey ahead of me would be, not just for me but for my loved ones.
“I came to the conclusion that rather than burden them with the difficulties of my recovery and post-stroke life, it would be easier to close my eyes and let death embrace me.
“This, unfortunately, is the stark reality of confronting the world after a stroke for many people.”
After leaving hospital, Aaron said he suddenly became aware of how alone he felt.
“Emma was a rock and supported me wholly, but she had no first-hand experience of suffering a stroke,” the teacher at Llandovery College said.
Aaron reached out to stroke forums and Facebook groups for some “guidance in the dark”, but still found himself struggling.
It was like someone had pulled open my skull, boiled a kettle, waited for it to whistle, then poured the scalding water over the crevices of my brain.
Aaron Kent
“I couldn’t lift my children, my vision was affected and every headache, flash of eye pain, spell of light-headedness was met by a stone-cold belief that I was suffering another stroke,” he said.
“My world changed entirely, everything I had taken for granted had to be reconsidered.
“And when I thought I had overcome the stroke, new issues would come up: panic attacks, fatigue, lifestyle changes.
“Whenever you feel you are free from the stroke it pulls you back in and reminds you that you are not who you were.”
Aaron, now 35, was desperate for help, but he was stuck on counselling waiting lists “for years”.
“Every avenue I had tried was met with failure – failure on behalf of a duty of mental health care, and a systemic failure of post-stroke guidance,” he added.
“Telling somebody they’ve had a stroke is not like telling somebody they’ve broken a finger.
“No, this carries with it a history of stigma, a culture of fear, and a premonition of a lonely path ahead.”
‘Impending sense of doom’
Fed up with the delays, Aaron, who joined the military and served on a nuclear submarine as a warfare specialist and sonar operator, paid for private counselling.
Years later, he still has weekly sessions – but his mental health struggles haven’t disappeared.
While he is a successful writer and can exercise once more, he is still haunted by what he went through.
“I was putting my son to bed last August, when I suddenly felt the walls close in around me, and an undefinable impending sense of doom,” Aaron said.
“I couldn’t confirm the feelings, but I was rapt by the idea that I was dying, that my brain was bleeding again, and I was about to die.
“I held my boy and wondered if I would ever see him again, if he was about to watch his father die on his bedroom floor, if I were about to burden him with a memory no child deserves. Then it passed.
“The next day, as I prepared lunch, it happened again.
“This continued two to three times a day for the next week before my GP prescribed me beta blockers and told me I was having panic attacks due to PTSD from my stroke.
“Three years down the line and here it was again, rearing its head and controlling my life.”
What is a stroke and what are the symptoms?
MORE than 100,000 people suffer a stroke every year in the UK.
It is a life-threatening medical condition that claims the lives of over 38,000 people annually.
The main symptoms can be remembered with the word FAST:
- Face – the face may have dropped on one side, the person may not be able to smile, or their mouth or eye may have dropped
- Arms – the person may not be able to lift both arms and keep them there because of weakness or numbness in one arm
- Speech – their speech may be slurred or garbled, or the person may not be able to talk at all despite appearing to be awake
- Time – it’s time to dial 999 immediately if you see any of these signs or symptoms
Strokes are caused when the supply of blood to the brain is restricted or stopped and cells begin to die.
Certain conditions, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, irregular heart beats and diabetes, increase the risk of having one.
Strokes are usually treated with medicine, but people are often left with long-term problems so recovery can take some time.
If you suspect that you or someone else is having a stroke, phone 999 immediately and ask for an ambulance.
Aaron is now campaigning for stroke survivors to receive better aftercare.
“I yearn for a future in which stroke survivors are walked out of hospital doors with a solution and a pathway to recovery, a future where stroke survivors don’t say goodbye to their hospital bed and their mental health at the same time, and a future where a stroke isn’t a great unknown for survivors and family members alike, but a clear, concise, careful journey defined by the success of this mental health provision,” he said.
A stroke is a life-threatening medical emergency that affects more than 100,000 people in the UK every year.
When one strikes, part of the brain shuts down – and therefore, so does a part of the person.
The Stroke Association says: “The brain is the control centre for who we are and what we do so lives change in an instant.
“People who survive a stroke often experience significant mental health struggles, including depression, anxiety, mood swings, panic attacks and suicidal thoughts.”
A survey by the charity revealed around three quarters of stroke survivors experience at least one mental health problem – but only three per cent received support when they needed it most.
offers ‘tier one’ psychological support to address this gap, but says there is still work to be done for people with mild or moderate depression and anxiety who require more comprehensive ‘tier two’ support.
