The Devastating Affects Of A Stroke

Some of you will know us, many of you won’t. Below, on the left, is a picture of me and my husband Geoff from November 2018, all dressed up ready for a going ‘out out’ evening.

On the right is me and him yesterday in Queens Hospital. Why you might ask? Well let me tell you our story and ask that you please share it far and wide to help raise awareness of the catastrophe that struck us almost 3 weeks ago.

Geoff was a very fit, 48 year old man who adored and worked hard for his family as most of us do. He went to the gym 3 times a week, didn’t have high BP or cholestrerol, never smoked, ate reasonably healthy and drank alcohol in moderation. On 28th March, I came downstairs to find he had had what we very quickly discovered to be a hemorrhagic stroke, the worse kind and one which only strikes around 15% of people.

In the early hours of Saturday 30th March, he underwent an emergency life saving craniectomy at Queens in Romford, the most specialist for Neuro in the South and possibly the country. As a result he now only really has the right side of his skull and a little on the left.

He remained in Neuro critical care for 11 days before being transferred to the acute ward at Queens where he is waiting for a bed on Broomfield’s stroke ward to begin his rehabilitation. It is looking likely that he will be transferred after some time and after a cranioplasty to replace his skull, to a specialist rehab unit where they will hopefully be able to work on his major impairments more closely.

This time last week, he was still on a ventilator in critical care. In his 4 days on the acute ward, his progress has been simply astounding. He has some speech, but not much understanding, he can play games, he can draw, he can sing, he can feed himself and most importantly, he can say ‘I love you’. The three little words that are thrown around so much but not always with real meaning.

Our road ahead is a majorly long one and one we never dreamed we would travel as this wasn’t how our lives were ‘meant to be’. Geoff and I have only been together for 11 years and married for nearly 9. He truly is my soulmate and my best friend, I’m not posting this for sympathy. I want to share my story with you all to raise awareness of the devastating effects of stroke and offer you the advice to hug and love those near and dear to you just that little bit tighter. Please can I ask that you keep sharing our story and when I have time, I will set up a page where hopefully you will all be interested in following his recovery. Thank you and god bless you all x

Jo Smith