Two strokes in the space of less than three years forced a Perth married couple to relearn how to walk and talk again.
After a dinner with friends to celebrate her husband Kevin Giles’ birthday in September, Nancy Barron (64) collapsed as she was about to brush her teeth before bed.
As her legs gave way, Nancy realised instantly she was having a stroke - because she had been there two-and-a-half years earlier when Kevin (67) had a serious stroke.
She had to spend two weeks at Perth Royal Infirmary and was left with aphasia, which affects her speech and use of numbers, and sensitivity in her right hand.
After supporting her husband Kevin to recover from his life-changing ordeal - where he struggled to walk again - little did Nancy think she would have to fight her own battle just three years later.
But both their gruelling experiences have empowered her to call on people to donate to stroke charities and help others like them.
Speaking about her experience, Nancy said: “I knew nothing about strokes until Kevin had his three years ago.
“He was much more affected than I was and was in hospital for seven weeks.
“I was with him the morning it happened, so thankfully I had some idea of what a stroke looks like.
“We’d been for dinner with friends to celebrate Kevin’s birthday. I dozed off watching TV and decided to get ready for bed.
“I couldn’t stand up, I had no strength in my legs. I thought ‘I can’t be having a stroke’ but I was.
“The paramedics took me straight to the stroke unit at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.
“A scan showed a clot on my brain, so they gave me thrombolysis to break the clot down.
“I feel very lucky that all I have been left with is aphasia.
“Kevin had to learn to walk again after his stroke.”
Nancy was transferred to the same stroke ward at PRI where Kevin had been two-and-a-half years earlier.
It was apparent immediately that she didn’t need physical rehabilitation, but she had suffered cognitive damage.
She recalled: “I couldn’t write at first - so I put myself to work.
“I asked my daughter Sarah to get me a notebook and I started copying things out of the newspaper to practise.
“I found it frustrating that I could not write or speak.
“I worked for a children’s charity within their HR department, so writing had been a huge part of my working life.
“I loved to do crosswords and did the one in the newspaper every day.
“On my first day in hospital, Kevin brought me the newspaper so that I could do the crossword.
“I saw straight away that I had no clue what to do with the crossword – I could read the words, but I couldn’t make sense of them.
“Eventually I challenged myself to solve one clue, then two. I’d keep that day’s newspaper and looked at the next edition to see what the answers were.
“This helped me to focus on the actual words and how alternatives words and meanings solved the puzzle. This became a big part of my own rehab.
“I’m still not as good as I used to be at crosswords, but I am still quite good.”
On release from hospital, Nancy felt lost.
Then she received a call from Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland’s Hazel Staniforth, the community support co-ordinator for Tayside.
Nancy said: “I’d been home a week and Hazel called me.
“It was like a lifeline to me. I didn’t know where to go at that time.
“I could only do so much myself on writing and trying to say words, but then I joined Hazel’s online support group and she introduced me to a volunteer called Sam.
“Sam has been amazing. She calls me every week and spends an hour going over my speech, language and numbers.
“She has helped me so much. When I started with Sam, I couldn’t say some words – I really struggled with the letter ‘B’.
“Every week she’d give me a list of words to practise saying and writing.
“It was brilliant.
“Sam took away all the fears that I had that I could not progress with my communication.
“Sam’s care, persistence, advice and humour have given me the confidence to be able to speak, write and read again.
“Stroke affects people in so many different ways. Kevin and I have experienced that first hand, but the most important thing to me now is to make sure people don’t miss out on the help they need when they need it most.
“Stroke hit my family twice and took away my voice and my love of reading and writing.
“Your donations mean people like me who are scared and don’t know where to turn can get the help they need.”
To donate visit Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland’s website at chss.org.uk/appeal
