A GoFundMe has been launched to support an Irishman in Australia after he suffered a ‘sudden and serious’ stroke on Sunday, October 11.

Padraig Maher, a 36-year-old from Kerry, had been living Down Under since 2010 after moving from Castleisland.

He has worked and lived across most of Australia, though he settled down in Perth with his wife, Ciara, from Dublin.

However, just over a week ago, he suffered a stroke with no warning signs.

The stroke was caused by a rare tangle of blood vessels in the brain that suddenly ruptured, known as an AVM (Arteriovenous Malformation).

A GoFundMe page has been launched to support Padraig and Ciara through this devastating time.

Organiser Denis Nolan wrote: ‘Just several hours beforehand, Padraig delivered birthday presents to my two boys and went home to prepare to fly back to work. It was then that he experienced sudden slurred speech and weakness in his right hand, and was rushed to hospital by his wife, Ciara.

‘Padraig was urgently transferred to the neuroscience unit in Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital where he underwent emergency brain surgery. A team of surgeons spent six and a half hours removing the AVM and repairing the surrounding blood vessels. Padraig has (for now) lost the ability to communicate through speech and has not yet regained movement on the right-hand side of his body.’

Denis described Padraig as ‘full of life, hard-working, a devoted mate, loving husband and someone who’d give you the shirt off his back’.

He continued: ‘He’s always been the first person to step up and help anyone else out. When my family moved from NSW to WA he didn’t hesitate to offer up his home to us while we found our feet.

‘That’s the type of person he is, always there when you need help. Now, it’s our turn to step up for him.

‘While he is fighting hard, the road ahead is going to be a massive battle. He is facing a long stretch of hospital recovery, intensive rehabilitation / physical therapy, and the financial weight of medical bills, time off work, and daily living costs is piling up fast.’

The GoFundMe has raised nearly €60,000 so far from over 340 donations.

Denis added: ‘Any donation – no matter how small – will go directly toward easing this burden so he can focus 100% on healing and getting back on his feet. If you can’t spare a dollar right now, please share this link around with your mates, work networks, and family. Every bit of support, every share, and every message means the world to him and his family.’