Jonathan Woolfenden

As some of you know my Jon - the artist of Salcombe - had a big stroke on the 28th December. He was in an allotment in Hope Cove on a wet rainy day over the festive period... the first ambulance that arrived wasn’t equipped to get to him and this added to a delay of 6 hours before he was treated.

In Derriford his treatment was then further delayed by New Years Eve staff shortages and then the much publicised 5 day Doctors Strike. Roll forward 2 months and our lovely boy (who for the record is a 100% in there!!!) has been left with:

- Impaired vision, tragically blind in his right eye with tunnel vision on his left

- Paralysed right arm, although he has sensation

- Recovering right leg; determidly learning to walk

- Finally he has Apraxia of speech and limb with Aphasia (these are a nightmare for communication but we are hopeful this will improve further.

His closest team have pledged 12 weeks worth of daily Speech and Language and Physical Therapy to give him the best chance of making further recovery which is amazing.

We also need to build his strength for Open Heart Surgery in the next few months to remove the benign tumour in one of his heart chambers. This was the root of the clot that caused this massive stroke. Nothing he could have done - just a shit ‘lottery ticket “.

What he desperately needs is a walk in shower which will allow him dignity and independence in his daily routine. His bungalow only has a freestanding bath which is never going to be practical and for the foreseeable future he will need to be washed in his kitchen. Jon is very proud and it’s a depressing thought.

#teamsatsuma hope we can all give him the best chance to restore his mobility, dignity and independence and in time we will have our stubborn, creative and determined Jon back!

Thank you so much for anything you can contribute to help us.