​Handforth stroke survivor finds his voice

Handforth resident George Oliver, 69, is now an ambassador for the Stroke Association, following a stroke which left him unable to speak or write.

George was fluent in four languages and travelling all over Europe in his role as a long distance lorry driver driver, when he had a stroke eight years ago in France. His stroke left him unconscious for six days and unable to communicate when he woke. Two years later George went on to have a mini-stroke.

Despite his strokes, George has been determined to find new ways to communicate again. With support from the Stroke Association, George can now write and his speech is improving. He has recently become a volunteer and ambassador for the charity, to help raise awareness of its work around the region.

George said: “The Stroke Association helped me a lot. I became a volunteer and now I'm an ambassador. I can write and spell and now my speech is a lot better.”

George is one of more than 350,000 people in the UK with aphasia, a communication disability which can affect people’s ability to speak, read, write, use numbers and understand but not their intelligence. Aphasia is caused by stroke, head injury or other neurological conditions.

Diane Warhurst, Information Advice and Support Coordinator at the Stroke Association, said: “George has shown incredible determination in his recovery. When we first met hehad lost a lot of confidence, and found it very difficult to communicate but eight years on, he’s doing a wonderful job raising awareness of stroke in his local area.

“Having aphasia can be so frustrating because many stroke survivors know what to say, but are unable to make themselves understood. Seemingly ordinary tasks like buying a pint of milk or using money can feel very stressful, and it is easy to lose confidence. Many people with aphasia can feel very isolated as a result.

“If people working in shops, cafes, banks and a huge variety of other customer service roles know about the disability and follow a few of our simple tips, the barriers to communication can be start to be broken down.”

The Stroke Association is raising awareness of aphasia and how people in the community can help support stroke survivors affected by the condition. To support this campaign, you can go to stroke.org.uk/aphasia or search for #aphasia on social media.

The Stroke Association provides an Information, Advice and Support Service and Communication Support Service in Macclesfield, in partnership with East Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group. For more information, contact Diane Warhurst on 01625 612 044.