A weekly call offers the chance for those impacted by stroke to talk to someone who understands what they’re going through and to help them find strength through recovery.

In February 2015, Emilia and Guy’s lives changed completely when Emilia had an ischaemic stroke due to a complication from elective brain surgery, leaving her unable to walk or move her left arm. The stroke took a huge toll physically and mentally.

After taking early retirement from her much-loved job as a primary school music teacher due to the impact of her stroke, Emilia found the Stroke Association in October 2022 while looking for a worthwhile way to use her time and to help others.

Emilia said: “I felt lonely and isolated by the stroke. I didn’t want anyone else to go through this. I did some research online and came across the Stroke Association.

“I think Weekly Volunteer Calls would have really helped me after my stroke. Now I enjoy sharing my experiences on recovery. I hope that this helps other stroke survivors and gives them reassurance that they are not alone.” 

Inspired by Emilia’s volunteering success, Guy applied to be a Stroke Association Lived Experience volunteer in April 2023.

Through Weekly Volunteer Calls, he supports carers of stroke survivors to help them feel more connected, cope better with the impact of stroke and find strength to support their loved one.

Guy said: “It can be a terrible time after stroke…sometimes [people] just need to talk and to share their feelings.

“It’s vitally important to give people a sense of hope and certainty. There is a lot of power in positivity. You don’t want to set impossible expectations, but it’s so important to hear that things will be better than they are. It’s a tremendous thing to be able to offer support to other people now.”

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When Emilia was discharged home following her stroke, life was very different, and neither of them knew anyone else who had experienced a stroke to ask if things would get better. Emilia was physically dependent on Guy for the basic tasks of daily life.

As she progressed with physical recovery, it was only when Emilia tried a return to work that she says the trauma really hit her. She was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.

Guy says he felt “devastatingly isolated” during one of the most difficult times in his life. 

He said: “To talk with someone, through an opportunity like the Weekly Volunteer Calls would have filled a hole for me. Sharing thoughts and worries about the future with someone who had that lived experience would have been incredibly useful. To hear, ‘Oh that’s normal’ or ‘Oh that’s how most people feel at this point’ would have been life changing.” 

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Volunteering has proven to be a great source of ongoing support for the couple, even years after the stroke. 

Emilia said: “Being a volunteer is a humbling experience, and it helps me even now. Although I consider myself recovered from my stroke, I do have times even now when I struggle emotionally or physically. It is a good reminder when I speak to beneficiaries that sometimes I feel the way I do because I had a stroke.

“Volunteering together has helped us both understand that we experienced my stroke from two perspectives. Guy now understands some of the ways that I felt, and still feel through my stroke journey recovery, thanks to the Stroke Association training.

“I now understand that Guy went through his own journey as a carer and he needed a different kind of support to me, but support nonetheless. I think because I was the one who had the stroke, people didn’t realise that Guy needed help too.”