A woman who was told she may never walk again after having a stroke aged 22 defied doctors to walk down the aisle to marry the love of her life. It was thanks to the quick thinking of her husband, Iain, that Kathryn Grainger was given the treatment she needed right away to survive having a stroke at such a young age. He spotted the signs her health was in serious danger when she woke up with a headache at 4am in July 2008. Kathryn had made enough of a recovery to walk down the aisle in 2012 to tie the knot with Iain . Kathryn, now 29, from Durham, recalls: 'I woke up thinking I was having a bad headache but Iain said, "You're having a stroke". 'To be honest I didn't know what a stroke was until I had mine. I was very confused and didn't know what was going on.' The fashion university student was taken to hospital and put into an induced coma to undergo surgery to remove her skull and reduce the swelling on her brain. But doctors warned her devastated boyfriend, then aged 24, and her parents Leslie and Miriam, that they could not be sure if she would be permanently brain damaged - and warned them she may never walk or talk again. Kathryn and Iain, pictured in 2010, at Berlin Zoo, one year after she suffered a stroke aged just 22 . Kathryn pictured as a child with her elder brother Christopher Thompson . Kathryn said of that difficult time: 'When I first woke up from my coma, I couldn't sit up, walk, speak or move. 'I could just about write with my right hand and couldn't see properly in my left eye. 'Although I was in shock I kept thinking I'd be okay to go back to university in September. 'I had no idea how bad I was. Iain knew though because he saw me with tubes and wires coming out of my head. He can't talk about it because he gets upset.' Kathryn's parents and Iain, who she had met through friends two years before her stroke, were determined to support her and nurse her back to health. She was also determined to regain her health and independence and didn't want to give up on her degree. Kathryn and Iain pictured with her father Leslie and mother Miriam at their wedding in 2012 . Kathryn defied doctors by walking down the aisle on her big day with Iain . Kathryn said: 'I stayed in the high dependency unit for two weeks. I was fed through a tube in my nose for months and then I went on to pureed food. 'The doctors told my parents I may not be able to walk again or talk. They didn't think I would get out of my chair, but I proved them wrong. 'I had physiotherapy, occupational and speech therapy. Slowly I re-learnt how to do things. I was really frustrated, as I'd lost the use of my left arm, as a fashion student that wasn't easy but the university did everything they could to help me and I graduated.' When she left hospital, Kathryn and Iain moved in with her parents in Durham and she began to make progress with their help, and that of Different Strokes in East End Pool, Newcastle, a project using cash raised by Red Nose Day to support stroke survivors. When Iain, a senior analyst in complaints, proposed on Christmas Eve 2011 Kathryn was even more determined to be able to walk again. The happy couple on their honeymoon in Paris in 2013 . Iain and Kathryn’s first trip to Paris in 2009 - before she suffered a stroke . 'All I could think of when I came out of hospital was that I wanted to walk down the street holding his hand again and we wanted to walked down the aisle arm-in-arm,' she said. She was able to do just that when they tied the knot a year later. Speaking about their big day, Kathryn said: 'I was in a wheelchair for five months after my stroke and I thought I would never walk again. 'Walking down the aisle with my dad on my wedding day, I felt so many different emotions. It's hard to describe the feeling but all I can really say is that it was one of the happiest moments of my entire life. 'My dad gave an amazing father of the bride speech. He said: "After Kathryn had her stroke, most young lads would have left because she was so poorly but Iain stuck by my daughter and looked after her throughout." 'Iain has really has supported me throughout everything; marrying him was the best day of my life.' The signs and symptoms of a stroke vary from person to person but usually begin suddenly. As different parts of your brain control different parts of your body, your symptoms will depend on the part of your brain affected and the extent of the damage. The main stroke symptoms can be remembered with the word FAST: Face-Arms-Speech-Time. The couple have now moved into their own home in Durham. Despite having to deal with having a stroke at such a young age, Kathryn says she doesn't feel sorry for herself. 'I'm a pretty positive person. I haven't let it get me down. It could have been so much worse,' she said. As well as the support of Iain and her family, she said Different Strokes made a huge contribution to her recovery so now she's urging people to support Red Nose Day on 13 March to raise money for such worthwhile projects. 'I found a Different Strokes group on Facebook and decided to go along. It was the first time I had spoken to people who had had a stroke. It was really helpful and I got some good advice from a physio and took part in gentle group exercises,' Kathryn said. 'Six years on I still have some things to improve on, like my speech. I'd love to be able to raise public awareness about strokes. 'It's the leading cause of disabilities but I didn't have a clue and you have to deal with it so quickly.' Red Nose Day is back on Friday 13th March. Money raised this Red Nose Day will help to transform lives here in the UK and across Africa. Find out how you can help at www.rednoseday.com .
Kathryn Grainger's husband Iain spotted signs she was having a stroke . Fashion student was put into induced coma after 'waking with a headache'
Was warned she may never walk or talk again .