A Miss England hopeful left unable to walk unaided after suffering a rare life-threatening stroke is determined to strut down the pageant catwalk just months later.
Doctors told Freya Ayub, 22, she had suffered a stroke in June 2019, after her blood pressure plummeted when she was left housebound after a series of headaches and severe head pain.
The young woman was rushed to hospital and spent five weeks practically immobile and needing aid when walking due to knee problems caused by being left bedridden by the stroke.
Doctors told Freya Ayub, 22, she had suffered a stroke in June 2019, after her blood pressure plummeted when she was left housebound after a series of headaches and severe head pain
Now on the path of recovery and having regained the ability to walk, Freya entered the Miss England pageant on a whim in November
But now on the path of recovery and having regained the ability to walk, Freya entered the Miss England pageant on a whim in November and has high hopes of bagging the title when she competes in June next year.
Customer advisor and university student Freya, from Rotherham, South Yorks, said: ‘I have suffered from bad headaches for two years, and in April I had a really intense episode.
‘I was unable to get off the sofa to eat or even go to the toilet, and one day my blood pressure went really low so an ambulance was called and doctors told me that I had a stroke.
The young woman was rushed to hospital and spent five weeks practically immobile and needing aid when walking due to knee problems
‘The doctors have told me it’s very rare but haven’t said much else which has made me very worried and nervous.
‘In hospital I didn’t realise I was slurring my speech at first, but my friends and family kept telling me I was saying random words when I spoke.
‘I burst into tears when they told me and I was scared because I didn’t actually know I was doing it.
‘When I was bedbound, I got really frustrated and bored because I was unable to work for four months and had to take a gap year from my human biology degree at university.
‘When I was discharged, my mum and my sisters still had to help me stand up because, after about 10 or 15 minutes, I would get a stinging pain in my knees.
‘I felt silly, but I was glad to have the support and now I still have problems but it’s slowly getting better – now it’s a much more bearable pain.
‘In hospital I didn’t realise I was slurring my speech at first, but my friends and family kept telling me I was saying random words when I spoke,’ said Freya
‘Despite the problems with my knees, I want to brave the runways of Miss England and show you can be okay after a stroke.’
Freya was kept in hospital for two weeks and had slurred speech which lasted for two days after the stroke.
She also suffered from knee problems which left her unable to walk for long without support from someone else.
Doctors are still investigating the cause of Freya’s stroke and check in with her every three months to monitor her progress.
Doctors are still investigating the cause of Freya’s stroke and check in with her every three months to monitor her progress
‘When I was discharged, my mum and my sisters still had to help me stand up because, after about 10 or 15 minutes, I would get a stinging pain in my knees’
Freya, who is studying human biology, said: ‘I was shaken up by it all – I’m fit, well and do a lot of sport and there were no other signs of a stroke like facial drooping or speech slurring before it happened.
‘I haven’t got a clue what caused it and I didn’t think it would happen to me so young.
‘I don’t really want to think about what might have caused it because it makes me more worried.’
Freya, who has no previous modelling or pageant experience, decided to apply to compete for the Miss England 2020 title, after seeing Dr Bhasha Mukherjee take the crown in 2019’s final.
Freya, who has no previous modelling or pageant experience, decided to apply to compete for the Miss England 2020 title, after seeing Dr Bhasha Mukherjee take the crown in 2019’s final
She now wants to spread more awareness of strokes in young people, and show how she can still strut her stuff down the pageant catwalk while recovering from the knee problems caused by it.
Freya said: ‘I found out about Miss England after coming across the winner this year and I thought it would be an amazing way to share my story.
‘I applied for the contest as something to boost my confidence after my stroke, it was spontaneous.
‘The most important reason was to get more awareness out there because a lot of people aren’t aware of younger people having a stroke.’