BRAVE jockey Aidan Macdonald has spoken of his shock at suffering a stroke aged 21.
Doctors told him he would never ride again but just 18 months on he is back competing at the highest level.
Macdonald 'suddenly collapsed' in his car two weeks after being rushed to hospital following a fall at Hexham in March 2021.
He was in his car with his girlfriend when he lost all sensation down his left side.
Doctors told him the shattering impact of smashing his head into the turf in that fall had led to his stroke.
Macdonald, a keen boxer from Hawick in the Scottish borders, said people told him to find a new job as he began his recovery.
But he made a triumphant return to the racetrack when finishing seventh of 14 in a handicap chase at Sedgefield last month.
Incredibly, Macdonald is the second jockey to open up this week on the harrowing effects of having a stroke at such a young age.
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Page Fuller, 27, said she suffered a stroke mid-race that led to her temporarily losing sight in one eye.
Like Macdonald, she is undergoing rehab and hopes to one day return to the saddle.
Both jockeys expressed their shock at being diagnosed with a condition more common in older people.
Recalling his stroke, Macdonald, now 23, told ITV: "I was reversing my car back off the hill into the middle of the road and my girlfriend reached over and put the handbrake on for me, pulled me out the car, and phoned the ambulance.
"I didn't really know what was going on so I wasn't too frightened but when I found out what it was and what had happened I was a bit shocked.
"You normally associate strokes with older people so it was quite frightening.
"I lost all feeling in my left leg and my left arm for about ten days.
"I could lift my arm up but I couldn't control it, it just fell straight back down."
"I was in hospital for four weeks which is a long time and it took me a good 12 months to fully recover."
Macdonald said his mum was in tears as he made his racecourse comeback – and that people telling him to quit riding for good only spurred him on more.
He added: "I didn't see my mum's tears but I was told that she was crying most of my race. It was a bit emotional for both my mum and dad.
"It's all fixed now. Everything's healed in my head and neck, I'm at no more risk than any other jockey."
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