World Stroke Day 2025: Saving Lives in Adults and Children

Stroke can take away movement, speech, and independence in an instant. But as Neurosurgeon Dr Alistair Jukes explains in this exclusive interview, clot retrieval offers a powerful way to reverse the damage, sometimes with results in just minutes.

Dr Jukes is one of just four clinicians in South Australia who can perform this minimally invasive technique on both adults and children. Children previously had to be transferred to the Royal Adelaide Hospital for treatment, but development of a South Australian paediatric stroke protocol means that they are now diagnosed and treated entirely at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital, shaving precious minutes off treatment time and improving outcomes.

“We’ve had patients paralysed on one side, unable to speak, and within five minutes of pulling out the clot, they’re talking and moving again. It's probably the most satisfying part of my job,” Dr Jukes says.

Thanks to your support, the NRF has been funding research into stroke treatments for many years, from neuroprotection to clinical trials. These discoveries are helping doctors save lives and improve recovery for patients young and old.

Watch the full video interview with Dr Jukes below.