But 29 years later, the 85-year-old Scone man lives a relatively normal life, has regained all of his normal functionality, his memory and can still solve arithmetic problems many would cringe at. 

That morning back in 1985, Mr Mitchell suffered from a stroke and with this week being Stroke Awareness Week, he gladly agreed to share his story and remind people that it can happen to anyone. 

It was not long before Christmas and Mr Mitchell was a fit and healthy 56-year-old who worked as an open cut mine overseer. 

He woke up one morning and couldn’t speak or get out of bed, so his wife Joan called the ambulance.

Mr Mitchell’s last memory was arriving at Muswellbrook District Health Service’s emergency department before the next week went into a blur. 

After 10 days at Muswellbrook in a coma, he was transported by     ambulance to Maitland for a cat scan, which revealed he’d had a haemorrhage about the size of a 50 cent coin above his left ear.

The next three months were spent in the Old Newcastle Hospital before Mr Mitchell was transferred to a rehabilitation centre for about three months prior to going home to his, then home, in Muswellbrook. 

After being told her husband might not come out of the coma and if he did, he would come out as a vegetable, to still sit beside him today is a miracle for Mrs Mitchell. 

Mr Mitchell said he was always determined to prove the doctors wrong, starting out walking on two sticks, learning to dress himself and tie his shoe laces, feeding himself and later walking and returning to work just 11 months later as a safety training officer.

He said he did many cryptic crosswords to write and develop his mind, and is proud to say he is lucky to be alive, but after being told two sticks would be as good as he’d get, he was     determined to prove the doctor wrong.

Mr Mitchell continued working until he retired at 60, and he’s only long term effect is slight weakness on his right side.

Although he had been a heavy smoker, Mr Mitchell had quit about five months before his stroke and was a fit man. 

He said he was really surprised that it happened as he had no signs, and he still doesn’t know why it happened. 

“It just goes to show it can happen to anybody at any age,” he said. 

Mr Mitchell was president of the local Stroke Club, however due to lack of numbers it was forced to fold. 

Stroke Awareness Week is an annual initiative coordinated by the Stroke Recovery Association NSW and Stroke Services NSW to highlight the impact of stroke within communities and encourage people to take action to prevent stroke.

According to the Stroke Recovery Association NSW, every stroke is different and how each patient is affected depends on where in the brain the stroke occurs and determines effects such as temporary or permanent speech impediment, vision or ability to read and write, and complete or partial paralysis