Stroke Sufferers

I congratulate the hon. Member for Nottingham, North (Mr. Allen) on securing this important debate. If others bring to it as much wisdom as he has, we will be tremendously privileged. I am pleased to take part in this debate, particularly because almost two years ago I suffered a serious stroke. It is often said that every stroke is different, but still I would like to say a few words about my experience. When I first came round in hospital, I was in a pretty bad way. Two friends were there with my partner, Carole, and one leaned over me and said, ““Don't worry, your solicitor and your undertaker are here””. I am very glad to say that I did not need either of them professionally, but I did, in those first few weeks, have to learn, almost from scratch, how to function and communicate again. I could not walk properly, so physiotherapists worked with me to restore my movement. My vision was affected. For a while, I could not judge distances, and I kept bumping into things. Over and over again, I had to use flash cards to help me to remember the words for dog, horse, cat, cow and so on. I have paid tribute before to the staff of St. Mary's, my local hospital, and am pleased to do so again, for the excellent care that I received. I know I am very, very lucky. I have recovered from my stroke well and medical tests show that I am at no greater risk of another stroke than anyone else of my age—indeed, I am at less risk than many people. I am sure that other hon. Members will make valuable contributions about the medical needs of stroke sufferers, but I shall raise a slightly different issue. I was in hospital for six weeks. After I was discharged, I needed no further medical treatment, although I did receive a fortnightly hour of speech therapy. In many areas, even that is not available owing to a lack of qualified therapists. That support was invaluable to me, but equally important was the experience of simply talking to lots of different people, and the mental stimulation that that brings. As I said before, I was very lucky. My movement came back relatively quickly, and I could get out and about and meet people. It must have been trying for them, sometimes, because I could not always find the words I needed to get my ideas across. Almost one third of stroke sufferers are left with some kind of communication difficulty—it is called aphasia, and it is a hidden disability. I looked all right, my mind was functioning as it always had, my thoughts were in perfect order, and I was still the same person, but my brain sometimes let me down in getting the correct words out in the right order. Aphasia has been likened to a filing cabinet falling over and all the files getting mixed up. The filing cabinet in my brain is now getting itself in order, but sometimes I still cannot find the exact word that I need when I need it. If that ever gets me down, I think of the blindness overcome by the right hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) or the silent world of Lord Ashley, who was so effective despite being completely deaf, and I remember that things are not that bad. Before my stroke, I could make a speech like this off the cuff, but these days I need to use notes—although, actually, I have found that having to think before opening one's mouth is not necessarily a bad thing for an MP, and I commend it to colleagues in all parties. I had the support of friends and family and was able to get out and about. As I am well known on the Isle of Wight and islanders are a friendly lot, I had plenty of people to talk to, but not all stroke sufferers are so blessed. Many are elderly and live alone. Aphasia makes them lose confidence, which makes it even harder to communicate. That is where the voluntary organisations come into their own. The Isle of Wight is home to just 130,000 people, but they have lots of voluntary support, including from the Stroke Association, the stroke club and Different Strokes, which do an amazing job. They provide the information that people need about every aspect of life following a stroke. Such voluntary organisations arrange weekly exercise classes and events where people can meet others experiencing the same problems. They provide a forum where people can get the mental stimulation that they need from talking to other people without embarrassment. Quite simply, they make people realise that they are not alone, which is a great help. Such voluntary organisations gave me enormous support, and I thank everyone involved on the island. There are too many individuals to mention, but it is humbling that so many people willingly give up so much of their free time to help others. Without the help and support of so many islanders, I simply would not be here today. I could have simply given up, but with so many people willing to help me to get well again, that was never really an option. However, the first time that I stood up to speak in the House after my stroke was a most terrifying experience. My plea is for everyone to recognise and applaud the work that the charitable organisations do in helping people on the road to recovery. The support that they give can improve confidence and independence. It can overcome isolation and depression and improve communication skills. It is not the job of the national health service to provide someone to whom victims can talk. I know from experience how important talking is to recovery. The greatest help that can be given to many sufferers is the opportunity to communicate, and to practise talking so that they can build up their speech again. It is something that charities do very well, but it is also something simple that anyone can do. I would never have chosen to have a stroke; however, I have learned a great deal from it. I hope that I can use that knowledge to bring an extra dimension to my life.