A North East mum has opened up about how she tragically lost her baby and the ability to speak following a stroke.
Doctors feared that Julie Foster may not survive after the 36-year-old suffered her second stroke in just two years.
The Hetton-le-Hole mum was found collapsed on the floor by her husband Stephen in November 2015 and was taken to hospital by ambulance as she slipped in and out of consciousness.
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Julie, who had previously had a stroke in 2013, said: "I was so scared. A few days after my stroke the doctors asked my family to come into the hospital as they didn’t think I would make it.
"I couldn’t speak at all at that point and I couldn’t understand a lot of what was happening.”
Julie, who was 21 weeks pregnant at the time, was told that her pregnancy may have caused the stroke as her blood was thickening and her hormone levels were so high. Due to her risk of another stroke that could be fatal, Julie was left with no choice but to terminate her pregnancy.
"The only alternative for me was to have a termination," Julie said.
"It was devastating and to make it worse, Stephen had to make the decision as I couldn’t communicate at all.
"I remember one of the nurses visiting us and just saying, ‘You’re a fighter Julie and you have to carry on fighting for your kids.’ I knew I had to carry on for the three of them.”
Julie was diagnosed with aphasia - a language and communication disorder most commonly caused by stroke - which left her unable to speak for months. However, the courageous mum-of-three's speech has returned after undergoing intensive speech and language therapy.
Starting with being able to say yes and no, Julie, who is mum to Aaron, 15, Grace, 13, and Oliver, nine, was then able to say her children’s names and her speech has continued to improve.
"Some days are better than others with my speech," she said.
"I know it’s there but I can’t get my words out or the sentence comes out the wrong way around.”
Despite her incredible progress, Julie said the public lack of awareness of aphasia has meant that she faces daily challenges have seen people mistaking her speech difficulties for being drunk.
"I get frustrated with not being able to find my words even when I know what I want to say," she said.
"My spelling and writing are also affected. I go to shops and they rush you, the buses are the same. I’ve even been told when I get on buses that I’ve been drinking.
"They don’t realise some people like me need more time, we look normal but that doesn’t mean we don’t have any underlying health conditions."
Julie is now set to star in an online documentary by the Stroke Association called ‘When the Words Away Went,' in an effort to raise awareness of aphasia.
It comes after Stroke Association research found that more than half of Brits have never heard of the condition - despite 350,000 people living with it in the UK.
"I am a positive person and I want to help people with aphasia as much as possible," Julie said.
"I really believe teaching kids in school about stroke and aphasia more is needed.”
You can watch the documentary here.
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