The Padstow resident, now 57, suffered the stroke as a result of a pre-existing medical condition known as polycythemia rubra vera, where excessive amounts of red blood cells are produced, causing the blood to thicken.

As a result, Mr Finneran had trouble keeping food and water down and suffered severe migraines. When an ambulance was called, things took a turn for the worse.

"I was asked to sit up, and at that point I had a 35-minute seizure," he said.

Both of Mr Finneran's arms and legs were paralysed because of the stroke, and he spent almost a month in intensive care at Liverpool Hospital.

He was transferred to a stroke recovery ward at Bankstown Hospital, where he spent several weeks relearning to walk and perform basic tasks.

"I had no muscles. I couldn't hold my head up and couldn't walk," he said.

However, Mr Finneran made quick progress, walking out of hospital after six weeks

"I suppose, in the scheme of things, I consider myself extremely lucky that I got to where I did get in that time; you never give up hope," he said.

While he made a relatively quick recovery, new research from the US has revealed that having a stroke can age the brain almost eight years.

The research, conducted by the University of Michigan and the VA Centre for Clinical Management Research, looked at 4900 Americans aged over 65, who took part in memory and brain tests between 1998 and 2012, who suffered a stroke within 12 years of taking their first brain test.

The researchers then focused on participants who had no prior history of strokes or dementia.

By comparing the results of those participants before and after the stroke, their test scores suggested their brain function was the same as someone eight years older.

The findings are set to be published in the July issue of Stroke.

While Mr Finneran hasn't noticed a great deal of change in his brain function since the stroke, he doesn't think he has the brain of someone eight years older.

"Although I wouldn't know what a 65-year-old person thinks like," he said.

Today, Mr Finneran remains positive about his outlook on life, despite not being able to do everything he once used to do.

"The coping mechanism I use is that there's the old Tony Finneran and there's the new Tony Finneran, but the new Tony Finneran has limitations," he said.

"If I focused on the stuff I couldn't do, it wouldn't put me in a good place, so I really strive for things that I can do."