Scott has the ball at his feet after a stroke

By Tracey Bryce

WHEN Scott Troup suffered a stroke while watching a football match, he didn’t know if he’d ever walk again.

But he’s now back on his feet — and proudly pulling on his Scotland top during a seventh year of playing for his country.

Scott, 42, is part of the Scottish FA Disability Squad, the national team for people who’ve suffered strokes, brain injury, or battled cerebral palsy.

And the father-of-two claims it’s been the best therapy to help him back to full fitness.

Scott, from Edinburgh, was with son Kieran, then 6, watching his beloved Hearts play Celtic on New Year’s Day 2006 when he suffered a stroke.

“It came completely out of the blue,” Scott recalls. “There were no warning signs.

“About five or six minutes after kick off, I felt numbness in my bum.

“I thought it was just the way I was sitting so asked Kieran to budge along. And as I stood up, the numbness spread and I fell over.

“Kieran instantly realised something was wrong and ran through the crowd to get the paramedics.

“They say the sooner you’re treated after a stroke, the more you can limit the damage. So Kieran thinking on his feet probably saved my life.”

It took Scott, also dad to Sean, 20, a while to realise what had happened. EVERY year there are approximately 152,000 strokes in the UK — that’s one every five minutes.

Most people affected are over 65, but anyone can have a stroke, including children and even babies.

For your brain to function, it needs a constant blood supply, which provides vital nutrients and oxygen to the brain cells.

A stroke happens when

“I didn’t even know what a stroke was — or that it could happen to someone my age…I was only 34,” he says.

Paralysed down one side of his body, and unable to walk, talk or eat, Scott spent a week in hospital. He was later moved to the Astley Ainslie clinic, where he endured three and a half months in rehab, re-learning all his faculties.

“It took about eight weeks to get the feeling back in my toes,” the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off and brain cells are damaged or die. About a third of stroke sufferers make a significant recovery within a month, but most will have longterm problems.

For more information about strokes visit stroke.org.uk or for more information about the SFA Disability squad, visit scottishfa.co.uk Scott recalls. “But a couple of weeks later, I was walking unaided and talking.

“It was hard work, but I knew I had to get better to be around and see the boys grow up. That really gave me the motivation to get better.”

In April that year, Scott was eventually allowed back home. Despite endless tests, doctors could find no obvious triggers for the stroke. But the scare made Scott realise he’d been given a second chance at life.

“I changed my diet and started going to the gym,” he recalls.

Six months later Scott returned to work and, just a year after his stroke, signed up for Scotland’s disability football squad.

Intense training saw Scott shed six stone and in February 2007, chosen to represent Scotland in Rio at the world championships — as Scotland team captain.

“It was a true honour, especially as the year before I’d been lying in hospital fighting for my life.”

Scott has stayed with the squad, travelling to international matches as far as Barcelona, Finland, Denmark and Hong Kong.

“I’m the oldest member of the team at 42 — but probably one of the fittest,” he laughs.

“I still get tired, have some weakness in my right arm and occasionally mix my words up, but otherwise I’m in great shape. I honestly think football saved me!”