Have you ever had that feeling that nobody is listening to you - feel frustrated and angry? Imagine experiencing that emotion all day, every day. Sadly, this is what my Dad is now living with after suffering a massive stroke back in Feb 2016. Its called Aphasia, a communication difficulty that’s estimated to affect 350,000 people in the UK.

Its hard not to feel angry, stroke stole my Dads speech. Its stolen precious time too. Ella, (my 2nd daughter), was born 9 days after Dad’s stroke. He’s missed out on what should have been such a special time - we all have. It’s funny though, the two of them have a unique bond as they have been mirroring their learning. Ella has a few words, and amazingly my Dad now has a few too!!

We’re 18 months on, and Dad has had to go back to basics and re-learn everything. From eating, drinking, walking, talking, reading and writing. It’s been the biggest fight of his life, but it feels like he’s starting to win. He can walk now and last week he independently wrote Mum’s name for the first time. Also, he can lift his right arm which was left paralysed.

Heartbreakingly, we just can’t have a conversation! Its like playing the hardest game of never ending charades. You feel like the weakest member of the team by not being able to understand what that person is so desperately trying to communicate. In real life - it sucks. That’s what Saturday 16th September is about. A group of us will be taking part in Rough Runner. We’ll be overcoming obstacles with friends, having a good laugh, whilst raising awareness / funds at the same time. If you can donate anything no matter how big or small it would be so greatly appreciated.

The goal to achieving this is by getting Dad out of the Brain Injury Rehabilitation Unit - where is he living. Getting him on a cruise, and taking him to America for specialist treatment. Please look at the link for more information and inspirational success videos. http://www.strokebreakthrough.com/blog/ We will need to go by boat (as he can’t fly because of smaller clots in his legs). This ironically will also help him achieve a life long dream of sailing the seas!!

I’m not going to lie, there was once a time that I wondered if I should be praying for his life to come to an end, as getting better seemed impossible and watching him suffer was intolerable. We’ve always been determined to stay positive, focussed and to never lose hope - which has been a bloody challenge!!! One and a half years later however, this strategy is proving successful!! We want to try everything possible to give him a chance of a better quality of life. If you can, please help us to accomplish this!!