Meet the second-year who had a stroke at 18

She’s raised over £1000 for Stroke Awareness


Millie Carrington, a second year, is raising awareness for stroke victims – after suffering one herself at 18.

Millie and a friend successfully completed Edinburgh RAG’s Race2Paris earlier this year, raising over £1000 for Stroke Awareness and Samaritans.

The incident occurred two years ago and Millie was taken totally unaware:

“I was at work and I felt my face falling down on one side. I was finding it really difficult to speak and couldn’t get my words out. The word was in my head but I couldn’t get my mouth to say it.”

Millie, who studies History of Art, then went on a holiday to Guernsey before her and her family realised the gravity of the situation.

“The whole journey down, I slept. Whenever I was awake I talked absolute rubbish, I had no idea what I was saying.

“After a couple of days just sleeping and talking nonsense, my dad was like “Yeah, we should probably go to the hospital.”

“They gave me a CAT scan and said I’d had a stroke.”

“I wasn’t as shocked as you’d might have thought but I still thought, ‘Oh shit, this is serious.’”

Millie had to defer entry to Edinburgh but has made the most of her time here since arriving last year, including the afore-mentioned Race2Paris.

The race began well for Millie, before they finished in Paris somewhere in the middle.

“We were winning all the way through England and then got to Dover Port and it all just went downhill.”

“Our first lift was Edinburgh to Brighton and then we had a drunk police driver pick us up in Calais and then took us to McDonalds and said he would buy us anything we want but it was 8am.”

Millie before the race

Millie admits that she struggles more than she used to but is also pleased with the way the uni had dealt with her situation.

“Reading takes longer. It’s like when you’re tired and don’t take anything in- that happens to me all the time. It takes me longer to take on information.”

“Through the disability services, they’ve been really supportive. I could have extra time on essays, exams, and if I can’t turn up to class because I’m tired then that’s fine.”

Makes your freshers’ flu seem a bit ridiculous, eh?