MAIZETTA Trotman was just 31 when she collapsed with a stroke which was so severe doctors feared for her life.

But today there is almost no trace of her trauma and Maizy and her husband Stuart believe they experienced a true miracle.

The couple are strong Christians and called on the power of prayer when Maizy was lying unconscious and largely unresponsive in a hospital bed. And today they are thankful for every minute they have together.

Now 38, Maizy’s stroke hit at Christmas 2004 – but initially she had no idea what was happening.

“I had three really bad migraines in a week and I was worried so I went to the hospital,” she said.

“I had high blood pressure so they thought that was ausing the pains. So they gave me some medication and sent me home.”

But, just hours later, husband Stuart heard an almighty thump when his wife collapsed on the floor.

“I couldn’t feel my right leg and I just fell over,” said Maizy.

When the paramedics arrived they found no response in her right side so took her to Birmingham’s City Hospital. With Maizy drifting in and out of consciousness, Stuart, aged 35, picked up the story: “They did a scan and the atmosphere totally changed. They went from chatty to silence. They had obviously seen something really bad.”

In fact, doctors had seen a blood clot on the brain caused by a tear in a carotid artery.

“The doctors said the damage was really bad and they didn’t want to operate as it could cause even more damage,” Stuart said.

“They were not very hopeful. They were not sure if she would survive. They just said all we could do was wait and see.”