My name is Andrew Phillips. I was born and
raised in the Rhondda Valley, South Wales. I regard myself as being a STROKE SURVIVOR. Why?
Because 5 years ago at the tender age
of 37 I succumbed to a severe stroke that changed my life forever.
I remember that day as if it were yesterday.
– Saturday 18th April 2003, (Easter eve) I had managed to walk into Hospital having felt weakness in my arms
and knew something was wrong. I eventually left Hospital in a wheel chair some four months later.
A CAT scan revealed the scars of 3 different
clots on the brain. (This means 3 different strokes) 2 of which I have no recollection of.
I had total weakness down my left hand side, There was, and still is little movement below the knee, Movement in my
left arm has returned through physio, It is still weak and I neglect to use it, which is common.
Apart from these physical weaknesses
thee are others that are not so obvious, these include hairs on my arms and face grow at different rates & my body temperature
differs (both from left to right) I suffer Fatigue easily I am grumpy and irritable,
I am impatient and loose my rag quite easily, I also became Emotionally unstable.
The doctors prescribed anti depressants
which I was not happy with instead of offering other support they changed my medication, but still no change so after 4 years
on them and no checking on how I was coping I came off them (not recommended for everyone see your Doctor). The point I am
trying to make is
`` I suffered these symptoms before I
went on the depressants, while I was on the depressants and after l came off them, I believe it has more to do with the brain
trauma than depression. Doctors use anti depressants because they have no other alternatives``
In the last 23 years I have had experiences that I would not wish on my worse enemy
From death caused by Alzhiemers (pre senile dementia) a rare genetically inherited form of the
diseasedisease, to dealing with a stroke, to being diagnosed as to not having Alzhiemers disease to being misdiagnosed
with depression eventually being faced with the fact that the stroke may well of been vascular dimentia.
When I was 18 my father was diagnosed with Alzhiemers disease. At that time little or nothing was known of the genetic
form of the disease I had a Aunt living in Canada who was diagnosed. My grandmother had Alzhimers and my great grandfather.
My Father died aged 45. in December 1987.
A Year later we buried his brother a few years later his Sister went the same way. Various tests including
the taking parts of his brain for research were conducted after his death and a rare genetic link was established.
I had my stroke at the age of 37 in April 2003. THe doctors enquired about a possible genetic testing which took another
3 years to conclude.
I look the spit of my father. and everyone agreed I had every chance of the test coming back positive.
How shocked was I when I was told I had been spared the chances of me contracting Alzhiemers was the same as the general
public. I thought that would be the end of it.
I recently had the cat scans looked at by a clinical phycologist. who found it hard to find three small blood clots on
both sides of the lower part of the brain that is used as a control center for behaviour and rational thinking. Which prooves
that damage was done, which resulted in the loss of emotional stability as a result I became verbally aggressive
to my family.
I have learnt however to control these emotions by the use of positive thinking. In order to overcome these feelings.
By putting the Stroke and the bad things that have happened into a box, then concentrating on the good points
in my life such as my grandson, I have been able to keep these emotions in check.
IE its not my fault I feel this way, It is the stroke. see article on positive thinking.
Another thing I have recently discovered is a link between stroke and Vascular dimentia. It is to early yet to say
that there is a link or a diagnoses, Yet there is a great deal of similarity between my symptoms. see
article on vascular disease.
Before my stroke I run successful businesses
and saw my self as a bit of an entrepreneur, Which meant I was able to go into a business or situation and create a better
way of running it. Or I would see an opening that no one else could see and found a way of exploiting it . I now knew that
if I was to return to work it had to be totally different to anything else I had tried before,
It had to have a purpose or a cause.
I spent 3 years of my rehab deciding which route to take I did a counselling course on Drug and alcohol abuse, and a youth
and community workers certificate, as well as various other courses including a business development programme with a view
to set up a type of social firm, and courses in voluntary procurement and management.
Using my resources I have come up with
the following idea.
Within the Medical profession there is
pastoral care, and there are voluntary agencies or societies that help strokees out but there is no re-usage Stroke survivors
like myself who feel they have more to offer.
How about a Mentoring scheme specifically for strokees.
There are mentoring services set up usually
using Existing social services personnel.
There are also Mentoring services set
up using disabled people as Mentors again nothing specifically set up for strokes.
There is no specific group set up in
this country known to me that specifically use Stroke survivors as Mentors (Positive Role Models) for stroke victims.
Only stroke survivors know of the traumas
and anxieties that go on inside the strokees mind.
The service should not be used as an
alternative to therapies offered by either the medical profession or social services but seen as an extension of it.
