While not many positives have come out of the current global COVID-19 pandemic, one Clunes mother is thanking her lucky stars her son was forced into remote learning due to stage three restrictions.
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Tracey Morey is recovering from a burst brain aneurysm, which hit her out of the blue one week in June.
She was direct when talking about what would have happened had her son Blayze, 15, not been at home when the incident occurred.
"Had he been at school like a normal day, I wouldn't have survived...The doctor told me it was down to seconds."
Mrs Morey said the day began like any other until she experienced sudden pain in her head.
"I woke up that morning feeling fine, no sign of anything wrong, I was fit as a fiddle as usual," she told The Courier.
"The only thing I can remember about what happened is that I had a really awful headache come on all of a sudden... it felt like someone was splitting my head open with an axe. There was no warning, it was so sudden."
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Concerned about the pain, she went to her son for assistance. Before he could think, the situation began to quickly go downhill.
"I remember mum coming into my room around 12.15pm saying she was in a lot of pain," Blayze said.
"I helped her call one of her friends who contacted the paramedics. I didn't know what was going on but I was just trying to stay calm."
I knew there was a chance my mum could die in front of me.
- Blayze Morey
Blayze said he thought back to training he received at his school, Highview College in Maryborough, where students were taught about what to do in situations like this.
"There is a program at school that goes through these sorts of situations and the biggest things they pushed was staying calm."
With the help of a family friend who arrived and helped administer CPR, Ms Morey was able to be kept alive long enough for paramedics to arrive, who ultimately air-lifted her to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
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She was put into a medically induced coma for four days before waking and beginning her road to recovery. Once she began to understand exactly what happened on the afternoon she had the aneurysm, her only concern went towards her son, who had to help her through the ordeal.
"I don't remember much about when I woke up... when I found out exactly what happened, I was so horrified that Blayze had to experience that. No kid should have to see their mum go through that," Ms Morey said.
She was direct when talking about what would have happened had Blayze not been studying from home because of stage three COVID-19 restrictions.
"Had he been at school like a normal day, I wouldn't have survived... The doctor told me it was down to seconds."
Moving forward, Ms Morey said the entire experience has given her a new perspective on enjoying everyday and looking after the most important people in her life.
"It was definitely a life-changer, I have to take things a bit more slowly and be less active... there is a chance I could have another stroke, but we try not to think about that, stay positive and make the most of the time we have," she continued.
"It's made me cherish family and friends that much more... it can all be taken away so quickly, so especially now while we're in lockdown, it's so important to get in touch with the people you love and tell them you love them."
Ms Morey continued by extending her gratitude not only towards the paramedics and doctors who helped keep her alive, but to the people who pushed for 000 preparedness training to be taught in schools.
"When he told me about what he learnt at school, I just can't thank the teachers enough for bringing that into the curriculum... It's something everyone needs to know.
"Without that training, there's a good chance I wouldn't be able to tell our story."
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