Community stories

FAST Heroes is an award-winning schools-based programme designed to boost public awareness of stroke. Its superhero theme is enchanting children around the world, but as these stories from South Africa show, its impact is turning some into real-life heroes.

Angels Day in South Africa turned out to be a tipping point for stroke care at Life Wilgeheuwel Hospital whose stroke team was inspired by the success stories of other hospitals. In recalling its impact, they say the magic words: “If they could do it, so could we.”

"I have lots to be proud of - I am an Angels consultant." Titis Winiati is an Angels consultant in Indonesia. In this video recorded at ESOC 2023, she and South African consultant Wendy Mandindi talk about inspiring people to become leaders of themselves, about belonging to a community of kindness, and changing the world one day at a time.

When actor Máximo Gallego signed up to play a stroke patient in a simulation, no-one could have predicted that his stint on the stretcher would end up saving a life.

ESOC 2023 was a golden opportunity for Angels consultants such as Esther Redondo from Spain and Eleni Panoutsopoulou from Greece to swap notes and learn from each other. In this video, the conversation ranges from pride, power and possibility, to wearing down resistance with patience.

When two stroke codes interrupted a meeting at a hospital in Spain, an Angels consultant was allowed to become part of the stroke team. The experience almost made her apply to med school but turned out to be transformative in several other ways.