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A 20-year-old trainee police officer complained of a headache while watching 24 Hours in Police Custody - only to have a stroke minutes later. Esther Littlewood spent months rigorously training for the detective constable programme to carry out her life-long dream of becoming a bobby. The 20-year-old described herself as 'really fit and healthy ', flying through the force's notorious bleep test in April. Esther was over the moon to learn she'd been accepted onto the course and was due to start her training in August. However, on Sunday June 29, Esther was watching Channel 4 's 24 Hours in Police Custody with her mum when she began complaining of a headache. After taking some paracetamol, Esther decided to go upstairs for a nap - but when her partner returned from work he couldn't wake her. Unbeknown to her loved ones, Esther had already had two seizures while unconscious upstairs in bed, and a third while her mum dialled 999. Esther was rushed to Chesterfield Royal Hospital in Derbyshire where she was placed into a five-day coma and later learned she had suffered a stroke caused by a patent foramen ovale (PFO). A PFO is an opening in the heart that didn't close naturally after birth that allowed a blood clot to pass through the brain. Luckily, Esther made a full recovery but is now warning others about the dangers of the condition that nearly killed her. Esther, who lives in Matlock, Derbyshire, said: "I was quite active. I'd passed all the tests to get into the police and was due to start in August. I've always wanted to join the police. I've always wanted to help people. "It's always been a passion of mine. The process to join was very intense but I was so excited to start. I'd been doing all this running every day to train for the tests. I passed everything - I was really fit and healthy. "I can't really remember the day it happened. My mum said we were downstairs watching '24 Hours in Police Custody' and said I went to the left side of my head near my ear and said 'that hurts'. I told her I had a really bad headache and took some paracetamol. Apparently I said I needed to go for a nap." However, a couple of hours later Esther's partner returned from work to find her unconscious in bed. Esther was rushed to hospital after suffering three seizures and placed into a coma while doctors determined the cause of her sudden decline in health. An MRI scan showed Esther had suffered a stroke, which tests later found was caused by a small flap in her heart that had allowed a blood clot to pass through into her brain. After 12 days in hospital, Esther was discharged and is now awaiting surgery to close the opening in her heart to prevent further strokes. Esther said: "From having just a headache to being unconscious having seizures is crazy. I can't remember any of that. A stroke you think you'd see something on your face or arms but the only sign I had was a headache. "The coma felt like I was having a two-hour long dream. When I woke up apparently I said to my mum 'I know this is a dream, it can stop now'. I'd gone from being so healthy and fit to having a stroke and being in a coma. "They told me to have a stroke this young is extremely rare. With the surgery, it's nearly impossible to have another stroke. In a way I felt like I'd lost my job that I'd worked so hard for. I lost being able to drive. I lost my independence. I felt like a different person." Esther, who is now due to join the police in March, is now determined on spreading awareness of PFOs and strokes in young people. Esther said: "Now I realise life is so precious and that you only live once. It's really opened my eyes. "I didn't believe them when they told me I'd had a stroke. I couldn't believe it. If you have a really bad headache that doesn't feel right, call 111. Look out for those symptoms. Check where the headache is. If you feel a pain in the side or back of the head, just get it checked. It needs to be more talked about. I want to spread awareness of this."
