Ethan Bruce: Video shows moment South Yorkshire teen is elected prom king just days after suffering a stroke

Ethan Bruce was training at a gym near his home in Wath Upon Dearne, Rotherham, when he suffered a tear in the wall of an artery in his neck, known as a cervical artery dissection, causing a stroke.

The 16-year-old Sheffield Wednesday fan, who had only finished his GCSEs days earlier, was rushed to Barnsley Hospital before being transferred to the hyper acute stroke unit at Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital.

Despite what happened to him, the Wath Academy student was determined to attend his school prom at Wentworth Woodhouse just four days later on Friday, July 1.

He did just that with his girlfriend Maddi and got an amazing surprise when the couple were voted prom king and queen, showing just how much their peers think of them and of Ethan’s courage in the face of adversity.

‘Completely choked’ by prom king gesture

Ethan’s dad, Che, said his son had been ‘completely choked’ by the gesture, which was caught on camera, and he wells up everytime he watches the video of Ethan being named prom king.

Che told how Ethan was making a good recovery and had been able to return to school to begin his A-level studies but still has a long way to go after suffering a ‘significant brain injury’.

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“To look at Ethan you would think everything’s fine. It’s not till you start talking to him that you realise his significant cognitive difficulties. The stroke’s affected his ability to understand language and process it,” he said.

“He also has memory problems and although he’s learned to read again pretty well, if he reads more than one sentence it doesn’t make any sense to him and if he tries to read a long piece of prose he doesn’t remember what he’s read.

‘Amazing’ young man has made a ‘massive’ recovery since stroke

“He’s made a massive recovery since the stroke but we don’t know what he’s going to be like in 12 months or 24 months, and he needs all the support he can get.

“He’s an amazing young man who with the help of his family and friends is continuing to move forward and reach his goals.”

Ethan secured an impressive set of GCSE grades, bagging the eqivalent of an A, two Bs and five Cs.

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He is fitness mad, having played football and rugby for his school and local teams before the stroke. He also competed at taekwondo, and he wants to become a physical therapist.

His dad has started a fundraising campaign to pay for the intensive rehabilitation his son needs as he faces months of speech therapy, occupational therapy and physiotherapy on the road to a full recovery.

More than £5,000 has already been donated towards the goal of £25,000 and Che says he and Ethan’s mum Jill are incredibly grateful for the support of the community and the ‘amazing’ team at the Royal Hallamshire.

To donate, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/f/setn4g-rehabilitation?qid=c994c03988e125f5341e2b03407f82aa.