Lincoln stroke survivor calls on residents to find their festive spirit

Opening presents and wishing people a “Merry Christmas” are the favourite Christmas activities for people living in the East Midlands according to a new survey by the Stroke Association.⁽ⁱ⁾

The charity has found that the favourite activities at Christmas time in the region also include driving to visit family (39%) and decorating the tree (36%).

Yet many of the UK’s 1.2 million stroke survivors are no longer able to enjoy these and many other Christmas pleasures.⁽ⁱⁱ⁾

For well over a third of stroke survivors (39%), the effects of their stroke will mean that this Christmas they will be unable to play with the kids or grandkids, decorate the tree, and cook or help to cook the Christmas dinner.

One in five stroke survivors won’t even be able to wish their friends and loved ones a “Merry Christmas” due to problems with their communication.

For Rob Belt, 26, a Teacher from Lincoln, Christmas has been a hugely challenging time of year since his stroke.

Rob had his stroke a few days before Christmas in 2017 while driving home from work. Luckily, he managed to pull over and phone his fiancée Colleen and sought advice from 111. However it would be another two days before Rob was sent to hospital where CT scans revealed he had had a stroke in the Cerebellum region of his brain.

Rob has since been left with major cognitive difficulties and had to have key-hole surgery on his heart in December 2018, almost a year to the day since his stroke. Unsurprisingly Rob has since found that Christmas has totally changed for him and his family.

Rob said: “Having a stroke just before Christmas was a real sucker-punch for me. Usually my Christmas holidays are filled with happiness but that year and the year after were just filled with worry. The mood at Christmas last year after my surgery was so sombre – understandably everyone in the family was asking questions about my stroke, which can be exhausting in itself.”

“I do really struggle with Christmas. My stroke has affected me cognitively, so negotiating the streets around hundreds of people, never mind the pressure to pay quickly and not hold up the queue is difficult. I remember visiting the Lincoln

Christmas market last year and it was such a huge contrast to my experience years before. Social anxiety still lays deep inside me and being packed in with huge crowds takes real effort.”

Despite the last two years being dominated by Rob’s stroke at Christmas, he is now more aware of how to handle its effects at this time of year.

Rob adds: “I am very much looking forward to this Christmas, I am more aware of my impairments and how I can support them. It will be my first Christmas ‘fit and well’ (touch-wood) for a couple of years and my now wife, Colleen and I will be spending it here, at home with a nice warm fire and our golden retriever.”

Sara Betsworth, Head of Stroke Support at the Stroke Association, said:

“Christmas is a special time to enjoy with family and friends, but for thousands of people stroke will have had turned their lives upside down. That’s because stroke happens in the brain, the control centre of who we are and what we can do. The impact varies depending on which part of the brain is affected. It could be anything from wiping out your speech and physical abilities, to affecting your emotions and personality.

“The Stroke Association helps people to rebuild their lives after stroke, but we cannot do this without your support.

“This Christmas we want to highlight the challenges that stroke survivors face as they struggle to take part in the activities we cherish the most, from putting the Christmas Fairy on top of the tree to cooking Christmas Dinner or playing with their children and grandchildren.

“For those survivors whose stroke has left them with speech and communication difficulties, even the simple pleasure of wishing someone a Merry Christmas has been taken away.

“The Stroke Association supports more than 70,000 people as they rebuild their lives after stroke but we can’t do this alone. Donations to our Christmas Appeal can help more stroke survivors like Jo to get the vital support they need to rebuild their lives. Please donate now at stroke.org.uk/gifts.”

To donate to the Stroke Association’s Christmas Appeal and help support stroke survivors to rebuild their lives visit stroke.org.uk/gifts

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For more information on the research, please contact: Ken Scott, PR & Media Officer at the Stroke Association at ken.scott@stroke.org.ukor 0115 7788429

Notes to editors:

About the Stroke Association

• Stroke strikes every five minutes in the UK and it changes lives in an instant.
• The Stroke Association is a charity working across the UK to support people to rebuild their lives after stroke. We believe that everyone deserves to live the best life they can after stroke. From local support services and groups, to online information and support, anyone affected by stroke can visit stroke.org.uk or call our dedicated Stroke Helpline on 0303 3033 100 to find out about support available locally.
• Our specialist support, research and campaigning are only possible with the courage and determination of the stroke community and the generosity of our supporters. With more donations and support, we can help rebuild even more lives.
• You can follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

About the research

(i) Statistics based on a Good Relations survey of 2,002 members of the general public, conducted in November 2019.

(ii) Statistics based on a 4Media Relations survey of 1,001 stroke survivors, conducted in August 2019.

Table 1: The nation’s favourite Christmas activities revealed
[survey of 2,002 members of the general public]⁽ⁱ⁾

	Total
Decorate the tree	39%
Cook or help cook the meal	39%
Play with the kids/grandkids	39%
Drive to visit family	37%
Manage a Boxing Day walk	34%
Wrap presents	28%
Say Merry Christmas	20%

Table 2: Activities stroke survivors will not be unable to take part in this Christmas [survey of 675 stroke survivors]⁽ⁱⁱ⁾

		Overall	Male	Female
1	Opening presents	58%	50%	65%
2	Wishing people Merry Christmas	47%	40%	53%
3	Decorating the tree	45%	33%	57%
4	Cooking or helping to cook the Christmas meal	41%	38%	44%
5	Wrapping presents	38%	27%	49%
6	Playing with your kids/grandkids	33%	29%	36%
7	Going for a Boxing Day walk	28%	27%	29%
8	Driving to visit family	25%	25%	24%