It’s not just the person who has had a stroke who is “the survivor” it’s you as well, the wife, brother, mother, girlfriend, partner, father, friend. We are all survivors.
Roger and I were just an ordinary couple and we had a happy comfortable lifestyle. We have been married for 54 years and have 2 sons a grandson and 3 granddaughters.
Before retirement I was a Patient Experience / Complaint Manager for an NHS Trust. Roger was an Electrical Engineer for 37 years. He decided to take early severance, then commenced a second career as a GP Practice Manager for
about 14 yrs. before retiring.
We were both active in our free time involved in a local church, a number of clubs and organisations and worked with youth. We moved to Neath 20 months ago. During 2021/22 Rogers health had started to deteriorate. He has a complex mix of conditions such as Cardiac Arrhythmia, diagnosed with second Stage Liver Failure. In March this year he suffered a stroke which seemed like the last straw. All of these conditions have an impact on each other.
Life now is very different and often a roller coaster. Taken up with weekly 1 or more hospital appointments for bloods plus physio appointments.
We are blessed but I can’t pretend that I/we still grieve for what we have lost but endeavour to celebrate what we have. Honestly, life is not the same almost all of the previous interests hobbies have all disappeared. This is not the life we expected or dreamed of, there are high days and there are low day and still the odd day when I want to run away. However, I know that I am not alone.
However on a more positive note we were encouraged to Join the Neath Port Talbot Stroke Group by Dave Jones from the Stroke Association Recovery Service who we met in hospital and later visited us a home. I have to confess I was not too keen quite sceptical to be honest but he encouraged us to give it a go. He told us that “it was the group you never want to join but when you do your very glad you did”.
I am so grateful to the Neath Port Talbot Stroke Group for the help support and encouragement that they give us week on week.
They work hard to provide us with practical help advice and encouragement and an opportunity to share concerns with like minded people with similar but different issues.
With talks, days out, art and craft and activities designed to promote independence, stroke recovery and help people to reclaim their lives but most of all to have a laugh mostly at ourselves and of course some of the more whacky things we do. Helpful volunteers also provide us with tea, biscuits and smiles each week which is infectious and were really grateful.
