About Me
My Story
Before my stroke, I led a fairly straightforward life, although I’d had my fair share of health problems. I spent most of my career working in hotels, which I enjoyed, and my husband, John, and I travelled extensively. I’d never driven, but I was independent, able to go places on my own and manage my day-to-day life without assistance.
Then, in February 2022, everything began to change.
One afternoon, John and I were playing Mario Kart when I noticed something strange: there appeared to be a third Mario on the screen. Clearly, something wasn’t right! I blamed it on COVID and an overdue eye test. A couple of days later, I had my eyes tested, but nothing obvious was found. I then had my annual MRI scan for a pre-existing health condition. The results showed that I’d had a small bleed in my brain, which was causing double vision. I was given a temporary prism for my glasses, and my neurologist expected it to heal within a couple of weeks.
Things improved, and life returned to normal, or so I thought. A few weeks later, in early March, I went on a day out with friends. It was sunny, but even sitting in the shade, my eyes hurt and I had a horrendous headache all day. Looking back, it was probably a sign that something wasn’t right.
At the beginning of May, my family had planned a trip to Disneyland Paris over the early May Bank Holiday. I woke up feeling as though I had the worst hangover in the world. I was dizzy, nauseous, exhausted and struggling with my balance. Walking more than a few feet felt like trying to stand up on a boat in the wind. Several family members had recently had a virus, so I convinced myself I’d be fine.
By the time we reached the airport, I needed a wheelchair, and I was very unwell on the plane. I continued vomiting, struggling to walk and suffering from a hideous headache. After the Bank Holiday Monday, I returned home on the Eurostar with my mum and John. It was, quite honestly, the worst train journey ever!
The following day, I went to see my neurologist. A CT scan in A&E revealed that I’d had a major bleed from a cavernoma in my brainstem. A cavernoma is a cluster of abnormal blood vessels. The last thing I remember is hearing someone tell John they’d found a bed for me and that he could go home.
The summer of 2022 is almost entirely a blank in my memory, and my family has helped fill in the gaps. I had numerous infections, including sepsis twice, and developed hydrocephalus, which required a shunt that I still have today. I also underwent surgery to stop the bleeding in my brain. I have a couple of hazy memories from my time on a neurosurgery ward before moving to rehabilitation in mid-August 2022.
By the time I arrived at rehab, I’d been bed-bound since May. I had a tracheostomy, which affected my ability to speak and swallow, and I had significant weakness on my left side. I couldn’t walk, and I faced months of learning basic skills that I’d previously taken for granted.
I spent four months in a rehab hospital, desperate to get back to normal as quickly as possible. Accepting that my life had changed, and that "normal" would be different, was one of the hardest parts. Learning to eat again wasn’t a particularly pleasant experience, but it was absolutely worth it. I still remember how good my first McDonald’s tasted!
One thing I really missed during this time was being able to talk to someone who had firsthand experience of life after a stroke. I wanted to speak to someone who understood what it was like to have your life turned upside down and have to work out how to live differently.
Now, I feel as though I have gone through enough to try and help others adjust. There are still a lot of things I struggle with, both emotionally and physically. Recovery is an ongoing process. I’ve learned to balance hope against acceptance.
