Welcome !

In April 1981 I suffered a stroke as a result of a car accident. The stroke left my right body half paralysed (hemiplegia) and robbed me of my speech (aphasia).
I had just been appointed as a teacher of English and French at a high school and was in the prime of my life so I struggled hard to overcome my disabilities and tried every possible therapy that came my way. I have since recovered to the extent that I can walk on my own, drive a car, ride a tricycle and carry out a more or less normal conversation.
I run the household and have many hobbies: going on walks, swimming, gardening, photography and travelling with my husband Victor. I organised a self-help group (SHG) some 10 years ago which is still going strong.
I enjoy my life hugely so I have written a book about what it feels like to be half-paralysed and unable to communicate one´s thoughts and what it takes to recover from the condition.

The book is not yet published but a short version of my story appeared in the German version of Reader´s Digest in August 2000 which can be found (also an English translation) under Presse.

The many experiences I made on my way to recovery and independence could well be of interest to others. By „others“ is meant persons similarly afflicted, their relatives and friends, medical personnel and all those who could suffer a similar fate, i.e. everyone.

After all, there are 400,000 aphasics in Germany alone. But „normal“ persons know little about this condition which arises when specific parts of the brain involved in language expression (in my case the Broca area) suffer damage. Aphasics cannot express themselves and are not understood by others.

german version

Understanding the condition is a prerequisite to recovering from it.
I hope that my web page will contribute to this.