Worcester stroke survivor calls on residents to find their festive spirit

Opening presents and decorating the tree are the favourite Christmas activities for people living in the West 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 cooking the Christmas dinner (39%) and wishing people a Merry Christmas (40%)

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.

Joanna Marsh, 54, a Teacher from Worcester, is all too aware of how different the first Christmas since her stroke will be.

Joanna, woke up earlier than usual in January this year and collapsed while attempting to get out of bed. After managing to ring 111 and then attending hospital, MRI scans confirmed Joanna had indeed had a stroke caused by a blood clot.

Although Joanna has since gone to make a good recovery, she still has problems with one sided weakness and fatigue and had to have months of rehabilitation and physiotherapy. Now, approaching her first Christmas since her stroke, Joanna already knows some of her Christmas traditions will change.

She said: “I love Christmas but fatigue really will dictate what I can do this year. Since the age of 11, I have attended midnight mass with my mum and even read passages but now it’s just too late at night and I’ll be so tired. As a Christmas tradition, we’ve always gone to watch Handel’s Messiah too but again it’s just too late for me after my stroke.”

“Friends and colleagues look at me and think I’m fine but I’m not all the time, it’s all much hidden. I really struggle with fatigue and this year I will have to skip the staff Christmas party and Christmas dinner with the school kids as it’s just too noisy and overwhelming for me.”

Joanna has had to adapt and recognise what she can and can’t do, especially around Christmas time.

She said: I used to love decorating the house and putting the tree up and I’ll try this year as usual even though it’s hard work. Even writing Christmas is so much harder than it used to be.”

“Now though I’ve come to realise, ‘if I can’t do things, they want get done right away’ and that’s ok too. You do what you have to do as a stroke survivor. I’ve made so much progress since my stroke and I keep my drive and stay positive and as cheery as I can.”

Sarah Adderley, 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%