Peterborough stroke survivor describes frustration of learning to speak again after suffering from aphasia

“After my stroke, the sheer frustration of not being able to talk and the terror of being paralysed down one side was hard to take in.”

A Peterborough stroke survivor has described the “frustration” caused by aphasia as she backs a campaign to raise awareness of the impact of the speech and language condition and its link to stroke.

Leanne Porter-Bolger, 37, from Werrington had a stroke in December 2020. As a result of the stroke she has aphasia. The condition means she can struggle to find words and she has now has to speak more slowly, meaning people often interrupt her.

Now Leanne has backed a Stroke Association campaign to raise awareness of what aphasia is and the impact it can have .

Leanne said: “Aphasia is so stressful all the time. It did affect my confidence to begin with. Emotionally it was very difficult, and definitely in the early stages. I think the word ‘frustration’ is always topic of the week for anyone with aphasia.

“At first I was thinking I was talking normally, when really I was talking gobbledygook. After a while, I realised that I was saying something different to what people were hearing. I had to be brave.

“My aphasia is really varied. One day I could be fine and then I might have a bad day and I need to do a different activity or meditate to help me calm down. Then I’ll be alright again. You have to go with the flow, which is sometimes hard for people to get.”

Only able to say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ initially after her stroke, Leanne says she has managed to regain a great deal of her speech and language through speech and language therapy.

There are 1.3 million stroke survivors living in the UK, and over a third (40%) will experience aphasia after their stroke.

To help raise awareness, the Stroke Association has launched ‘When the Words Away Went’, a documentary about three stroke survivors living with aphasia embarking on their journey to rebuild their lives.

The documentary aims to equip people with the knowledge, understanding and confidence to support those living with aphasia.

Leanne has now returned to the job she loves as a Senior Learning and Development Partner in the food industry and is finding new ways to deal with the challenges aphasia poses.

She said: “After my stroke, the sheer frustration of not being able to talk and the terror of being paralysed down one side was hard to take in.

“I think of it as like being a new-born baby. You have to go right back to the beginning. You have to start with small words like ‘cat’ and ‘dog’. Things that you don’t think about with your everyday language.

“I thought, ‘How am I meant to do my job now?’ All of my working day was pretty much talking to people. I love working with so many people in my job. How do I do that with aphasia? I had a little cry but I kind of picked myself up again.”

Leanne is now involved in various Stroke Association groups and forums, including the Young Persons’ Forum, where she can connect with other young stroke survivors, and the Stroke Association’s Aphasia and Accessible Voices group.

To view the documentary, visit https://www.stroke.org.uk/when-the-words-away-went