Stroke survivor Ilikena Waqabaca.

Stroke survivor Ilikena Waqabaca had trouble speaking and was unaware it was one of the signs of stroke.

Speaking at the World Stroke Day commemoration, Waqabaca says he had high blood pressure and continuous headaches before suffering stroke.

Ilikena Waqabaca was mocked when he couldn’t speak properly.

“I was having trouble talking, whatever I said was wrong and those at home laughed at me, I didn’t realize that it was one of the signs of stroke. I really don’t care about it, I thought that it’s just my mind. So it’s crucial to get checked every day, a simple headache can block your blood veins and you can suffer from stroke.”

Waqabaca says he paid a great price when hit by the stroke which also includes losing his wife.

19 percent of people in the 25 to 64 age category have High Blood Pressure which is one of the pre-existing medical conditions that causes stroke and 64 percent are unaware of that they have the condition.

Other pre-existing medical conditions include high cholesterol and diabetes to name a few.