A Southampton nurse who lost the power of speech after a devastating stroke says he felt "trapped behind a glass screen".
Joel Fraser, 42, collapsed in his bathroom as he was about to take a shower and was unable to talk properly for six months.
Joel developed aphasia, which affects communication skills, and was left housebound with anxiety.
He said: "All I could do was grunt or change my facial expression, I needed to learn to communicate again."
Now, Joel is sharing his story to mark Aphasia Awareness Month and highlight the help offered by the Stroke Association’s Hampshire Communication Support Service.
"Language is a horrible thing to lose - it feels like being trapped behind a glass screen," he said: "The Stroke Association helped me regain some confidence and self-esteem."
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Joel was rushed to University Hospital Southampton after being taken ill in September 2022.
He was unable to move the right side of his body and could communicate only through eye movements.
He underwent emergency surgery known as thrombectomy, which removes blood clots and restores blood flow to the brain.
The operation was successful but the problems caused by his aphasia soon became apparent.
Joel said: “I tried to get out of bed to go to the toilet, but because I couldn’t speak, the staff didn’t know what I was doing. They thought I was confused."
Over the following weeks his rehabilitation became a family affair.
"My two young daughters, Amirah and Nazrah, enjoyed getting involved with my speech and language therapy. They made me flash cards with simple words and pictures for ‘toilet’, ‘shower’, ‘hungry’, ‘thirsty’.”
Joel’s wife Janine, who is also a nurse, said progress was slow.
"Gradually single words started to emerge but he'd get stuck on certain ones and over-use them, which made it hard for other people to understand what he wanted. He would repeat ‘begin again’ over and over, and call everybody ‘Mike’."
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Joel was forced to take early retirement and also struggled with his mental health.
A Stroke Association support coordinator helped him start to regain his independence. He was given a communication card explaining stroke and aphasia and also attended a six-week course of workshops.
“I can now say my name, address, and postcode.
"I take the girls to school and go to town by myself. I wear a lanyard with a card to alert people I’ve had a stroke. I have lost my identity, but the lanyard makes me feel a bit more protected.
“I continue to struggle today, but I've a second chance at life."
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