Join Our Webinar: Understanding PFO Closures - Insights from Stroke Survivors

Date: Friday 9th August 2024

Time: 11:30 AM BST

About the Session:

A patent foramen ovale (PFO) is a hole between the two receiving chambers (atria) of the heart and is found in around 25% of the population. Many of the stroke survivors we support have been told their stroke was caused by a blood clot passing through this hole to the brain. Cardiologists are able to close these holes with a low-risk keyhole procedure.

We are often asked about the procedure, so we have asked two stroke survivors who have had this procedure done in the last 5 years to share their experiences in an informative webinar hosted on Zoom. We hope this will help give a good overview of different experiences and outcomes of the closure procedure. Please feel free to submit any questions beforehand and during the webinar.

About the Speakers:

Jane Greenaway:

Jane, 55, is married with two grown children aged 21 and 18.

Jane moved to North London at the age of 18 to study Business and now lives in Buckinghamshire with her husband.

Outside of work, Jane enjoys the contrasts of partying with friends in London on a Saturday and peacefully walking in the Chilterns on a Sunday.

In January 2023, Jane had a stroke completely out of the blue, which was eventually attributed to a PFO. Her successful PFO closure was performed in July 2023.

Karl Davis:

Karl, 45, was fit and healthy before suffering two strokes in three days in July 2018, caused by a PFO.

Karl worked as a Traffic Police Officer in London for 20 years before being medically retired in 2023.

Now, he volunteers at his local kids’ football club, where he serves as the general manager of a club with over 900 kids. Karl also helps Different Strokes with virtual meetings and has raised over £5,000 through charity runs for Different Strokes over the last three years.

Karl had his PFO closure at St Thomas’ Hospital in November 2019.

Questions:

Have questions about PFO closures? Feel free to submit them when you sign up for the webinar. We’ll address as many questions as possible during the session.

For more information, contact Sheelagh Poyner at Sheelagh.poyner@differentstrokes.co.uk.