Ryan Thomas shares sweet post with Chris Fountain after he suffered a mini-stroke 

Ryan Thomas shared a sweet tribute to his friend Chris Fountain as he continues to recover from a mini-stroke.

In August, Chris, 35, was hospitalized when he suddenly started talking ‘like a toddler’, only to discover he’d had a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) due to blood clots in his brain.

Looking back on his friend’s recovery, Ryan, 38, revealed that he aspired to look like Chris and “looked up to him as a friend.”

Alongside a photo of the couple together while Chris was in hospital, Ryan wrote: “Shortly after this photo was taken three months ago, Chris was told he had suffered a stroke and the reason I’m posting this is for the sheer sake of it.” courage and determination of this man!

“When someone tells you ‘you had a stroke’ you automatically think of the worst, but he quickly turned this emotion into a huge positive and has never looked back since.

‘He’s the healthiest I’ve ever seen him, inside and out! constantly challenging myself to be the better person I want to be and look up to as a friend.

‘I always say my wealth is my friends and @fountain1987 is a real example of that ❤️ [sic].’

Ryan concluded: ‘Finally, please, please remember these 4 words F – face hanging. A – arm weakness, S – speech difficulties, T – time at 999 . to call

‘These 4 words may have saved Chris’ life’

‘I love you brother ️ thank you for always being there xx [sic]’.

The pair became close friends when they appeared on Coronation Street together, and Chris recently spoke about the depression he suffered after being fired from the soap.

Last month, Chris discussed his health anxiety and revealed that he realized something was seriously wrong after he woke up to find he could no longer utter his speech.

Speaking on This Morning, he explained: “I was woken up in the morning by a phone call from my mother. While on the phone I tried to say something but I couldn’t remember what I said and it didn’t come through. I said I would call her back and couldn’t put my finger on it.

“I tried to identify things in my house, like a towel, but couldn’t say what I was thinking, my brain and mouth were not on the same page.

“What made it clearer to me, I picked up a book and tried to read it. It worked in my head, but not out loud.”

He continued: “Physically I felt fine, but when I was with the nurse it became very difficult to talk, I was ashamed and panicked and scared.

“They kept me in the hospital for a CT scan which was clear and then they kept me in overnight and tested me for an MRI scan.

Chris said candidly about his shock, saying: ‘The doctor said the word ‘stroke’ and even though it was a mini stroke I looked at him as soon as he said it and wondered why this happened, will it happen again? to happen?

“It was as if someone had pulled a rug from under me. I keep myself fit and did a crazy health kick last year.

“I found out that I have a hole in my heart, apparently this is very common and many people will not realize, but the clot went through the heart to the brain.”

Despite the horrible experience, Chris explained that he was lucky, saying, “As traumatic as it has been, it could have been so much worse for me. I could have lost my arm and my face could have fallen.

“For the first few days after I got out of the hospital, I stumbled a little over my words and got annoyed.”

The actor – best known for his former role as Tommy Duckworth in Corrie – later found out that he had suffered a Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA), commonly referred to as a mini-stroke, as a result of blood clots in his brain.

He told the mirror“When the doctors confirmed I had a TIA and said the word stroke, I just couldn’t believe it, there was a moment of sheer panic, just scared of what it meant for the rest of my life.

‘Can I have one more? Would the next one be even worse and would I lose use of my arms or legs? I was really scared and burst into tears.’

Chris was eventually transferred to the Royal London Hospital where he underwent further tests over a period of five days before being released into the care of his concerned family.

He added: ‘The doctors said they saw some damage on the left side of my brain, where your cognitive abilities are controlled.

“What’s scary is that if I hadn’t called 111 when I did and got to the hospital so quickly that I don’t know if that clot could have traveled to the wrong place in my brain, I could have died. That clot was like a ticking bomb in my head.’

Doctors have since discovered that the clot was caused by a small, previously unnoticed hole in his heart that allowed blood to flow into his brain — meaning he’ll need surgery to close it.

The actor is now working with a speech therapist and says his ability to speak has almost fully returned, but he still struggles when he has to read aloud.

But he insists that he will use the experience positively and now plans to “live life to the fullest.”

He said, “When you go through something like that, you realize how fragile life is, it could be taken away from you at any moment.”

If you have any questions about TIA or would like to speak to someone, please call the TIA Helpline on 0303 3033 100.