Stroke survivor Tommy Quick makes stop in Wagga during charity trike ride

After having to learn how to walk, talk and eat again, Mr Quick approached his long road to recovery, but simply surviving was never going to be enough for the man who had a mission in mind to make a change.

On Monday Mr Quick visited Wagga Christian College where his younger cousins Christine and Bradley attend school to share his story with their peers.

Bradley said Mr Quick's story is one in which teaches people to go after what they want in life regardless of what obstacles may get in the way.

"It's great, he's showing people that it doesn't matter what you've gone through, you can still do something good," Bradley said.

Bradley said he was inspired by his cousin and was excited for him to visit his peers and teachers.

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In 2021, at 28, the Melbourne man decided to embark on a charity trike ride from Steep Point in Western Australia to Cape York, Queensland, to raise awareness around youth strokes and social inclusion.

Mr Quick is also aiming to raise $1 million for the Stroke Foundation which provides support for stroke prevention and recovery.

After cycling an impressive 3500 kilometres in November 2021, Mr Quick's journey came to a temporary end after he was struck by a car near Greenock in the Barossa Valley.

"My pelvis was shattered and I was unable to continue the ride for a year," Mr Quick said.

Determined not to give up, Mr Quick resumed his ride on March 24 of this year from Wilson's Promontory, Victoria.

Through his visits, Mr Quick is also hoping to encourage residents within the communities he passes through, like Wagga, to jump on board and ride with him whenever and wherever they can.

"I want to raise awareness around strokes in younger people and social inclusion," he said.

"Every year, 600 children in Australia from zero to 18 will suffer from a stroke.

"I also want people to be mindful of social inclusion."

Awareness in all forms could see a major change in the future according to Mr Quick, who likens his stroke to a "ticking time bomb", something which was inevitable and unavoidable when it happened to him.

Having only had a dull headache before the stroke, there wasn't any knowledge that it was going to happen, and with research limited, the reason for it happening remains unknown.

"There isn't enough research," Mr Quick said.

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