Patrick & Kady

For Mark and the other 1.3 million stroke survivors #teamstroke

We are running the Cardiff Half Marathon for #TeamStroke.

In November of 2018 Patrick's partner, Kady's brother, Mark Leather, collapsed in the street in Cardiff city centre suffering from a massive stroke. Mark was just 55 years old and there had been no indication that anything was wrong. Mark was rushed to hospital, barely conscious, and admitted into intensive care. For the next few days Mark's life hung in the balance. His brain was swelling and doctors identified huge haemorrhaging on the left side of his brain. Operating was impossible and for 48 hours Patrick and Mark's family did not know if he would make it.

Very slowly, Mark came around and started moving and walking, but his speech was affected and he didn't seem able to talk. When he did speak, the words coming out were unintelligible and didn't make any sense. 

Mark stayed in hospital for the next two months, slowly regaining his physical abilities and even becoming able to walk, get dressed and washed, and move around independently. But frustratingly, his speech didn't seem to be making the same sort of progress. The stroke has cruelly left Mark with a condition called aphasia, which is a language and communication disorder. During his lifetime, Mark has spent 35 years living and working in Spain, and is completely bilingual. Mark has always worked in customer-facing roles in retail and was a social, outgoing person who used his language skills over the years for teaching English and helping customers in his shop. Although Mark can understand both Spanish and English still, and although he knows exactly what he wants to say, the neural pathways in his brain are so damaged that he cannot speak or write the words he wants to say.  He has a very small set of words which he can say (such as 'yes', 'si', 'no', 'para', 'why', 'thank you', 'two weeks' and strangely 'oh my god!') but often the word he says is not the word he needs. 

Six years on from his stroke, Mark still battles daily to be able to say simple words, and whilst speech therapy has helped to improve his understanding Mark is left with a life-long disability that has taken his independence and his 'joie de vivre', his joy of living. Normal communication is very limited and Mark is having to find other ways to try to communicate with friends and family. 

Throughout Mark's ordeal, the Stroke association have provided unparalleled support, not only to Mark but also specifically to Patrick and to the family. In the early days of Mark's stroke their information leaflets and guidance were invaluable in helping us to understand what was happening and how we could help Mark,  both emotionally and practically. As time has gone on, the Stroke Association have been the only organisation who continues to provide much-needed activities for Mark's rehabilitation, signposting us to therapy groups, specialists and useful contacts. They have provided critical carer's support for Patrick and included him in Mark's speech therapy groups. During lockdown, when every other therapy input of Mark's was suspended, it was the Stroke Association who arranged virtual sessions, indoor home-bowls, Zoom music and movement classes and other social activities to keep Mark engaged and encourage his rehabilitation. They have helped to organise activities for Mark like golfing and sailing, to encourage him to go out when he was depressed and shy of being out in the world because of the limitations of his speech. As a result of this, Mark now attends a weekly bowls coaching session which is great for his social interaction and provides opportunities for him to practice his total communication strategies. Even today, it is the stroke association contacts that are the first port of call for our family. On top of this local help, the Stroke Association also campaigns on a national level for better stroke care and funds research into preventative and rehabilitative treatments. They have been critical in helping Mark to rebuild his life and we would like to raise as much as possible to help them continue their work.

For more information on Aphasia, please see this Stroke Association guide: What is aphasia? | Stroke Association

100,000 strokes happen in the UK each year - that's one stroke every five minutes. Stroke Association believes everyone deserves to live the best life they can after stroke.