WHEN Patricia Barnes set off for Lakeside for a spot of shopping, it wasn’t going to be the laidback trip she had bargained for.

After leaving her home in Orsett Village, other motorists saw her car zig-zagging inexplicably across Stifford Clays Road.

Mrs Barnes only recalls hearing a “bang” and her car’s airbags exploding in her face.

The blue flashing lights she soon saw told her the police and paramedics had arrived on the scene.

She had suffered a stroke.

Time was now of the essence.

Two million neurons are lost in the brain every minute after a stroke. Rapid access to thromboloysis, a clot-busting drug, is crucial as it saves lives.

Mrs Barnes was rushed to Basildon Hospital’s hyperacute stroke unit, where she received the crucial treatment.

Just 48 hours later, she was sitting up in her hospital bed, sharing a joke with her family.

The mum-of-two, who has lived in Orsett since 1978, said: “It was Tuesday evening last week and I decided I would go to Lakeside.

“I wasn’t aware of feeling unwell or giddy, but all I remember is a bit of a bang – I thought I had hit the kerb.

“I really didn’t know what had happened until somebody opened the door and the emergency services arrived.

“Somebody said I had hit a parked car and my speech was slurred. They assessed me in the ambulance and brought me to Basildon Hospital.

“They explained that if you catch a stroke early it improves your chances.

“When I first came to hospital my leg and my arm felt like a lead weight and I thought I might not be able to use them again. But, after 48 hours I was able to move both of them.”

Mr Barnes stressed: “I was lucky to be so near to Basildon because it meant I got the drug I needed quickly. The care here has been fantastic.”

The hospital’s hyper acute stroke unit is among the best performing in the East of England, according to official statistics released this week.

The Royal College of Physicians data shows patients treated for stroke at Basildon receive rapid access to the best available drugs, have a better chance of surviving and are more likely to return home than go into care.