A LINNVALE woman who was forced to put the brakes on her life plans after suffering a mini-stroke has finally ditched her learner plates.

Toni Kirkwood was just 18 when – after suffering from headaches on holiday in Florida – doctors found a blood clot behind her eye.

The then teenager had been weeks away from sitting her driving test and, while in the States, she suffered a mini-stroke.

Toni faced months of physiotherapy to allow her to recover her sight and strengthen her left side.

She had to put the test on hold, while also taking time out from her college studies.

It was three years before Toni could step back into a car to learn again and, last Wednesday, the 23-year-old passed her driving test.

She told the Post: “I had booked my test and I went on holiday to Florida. I had headaches and it turned out I had a blood clot behind my eye and an infection in my brain.

“I took a mini-stroke. My left side was weak, and I went to physio. My eye was shut for six months and I still get double vision. I had to adapt to having one working eye.

“I had to learn depth perception again, even going outside and seeing the curb on the pavement.

“I was told it was fine to drive if I blocked off the weaker eye.”

Toni said it was nerve-wracking getting back behind the wheel.

“It took me three years,” she said. “I wanted to do it but at the same time, I didn’t. My mum and dad were just like ‘you may as well’.

“My friends and family got me through it. I don’t really get down a lot. It doesn’t feel real still, you just need to get on with it.”

Toni, now back studying at the University of the West of Scotland, said the experience has put things into perspective, meaning she no longer gets stressed about life.

She said: “I don’t really worry about anything anymore. Even at university with exams, there’s more to life than worrying. With the driving test, if I had failed then I would just do it again.”

Toni’s driving instructor, Tony Clarke, spoke of his admiration for the sports development student.

He said: “Her attitude has been fantastic. She had three cancellations and she said ‘it’s no big deal, we will get another one’.

“Sitting looking at her in the test centre you would never have thought what she had been through.

“She has such a winning attitude. She’s really positive and always sees the best in people. It’s almost like ‘I’ve been through worse so let’s do it’.

“It’s inspirational when someone so young gets dealt a hand like that and she never wants thanks or praise.”