Picture last Christmas. Laughing, eating, swapping presents. Now imagine it's your first Christmas after having a stroke. You may not be able to move, see, speak or swallow.
This is the reality another 85,000 people will wake up to in the UK on 25 December.
Our new film shares stroke survivors' experiences of facing Christmas after a stroke. It also features Stroke Association supporters, including actors Brian Cox and Alison Steadman OBE, and comedian Nish Kumar.
Nicola's story – my stroke 'had stolen' Christmas
It was just nine days before Christmas 2022 when Nicola Shaw had a life-changing stroke. Instead of being filled with all the joy of the festive season, the mum-of-two felt anxious, fearful and fatigued.
'It was really hard to be a mummy,' she said.
Nicola got support from the Stroke Association's counselling service and Weekly Volunteer Calls, which helped her feel less isolated and alone. Find out about all the support we offer.
Nicola's story is also one of resilience and hope. And this year, she's able to celebrate on her own terms. Read Nicola's story.
Christmas after a stroke can be overwhelming
We asked 1,000 stroke survivors about their first Christmas post-stroke – what changed, what challenged them and what helped. Here's what we found out.
30%
of stroke survivors feel they are a burden to their family and friends at Christmas time.
66%
feel frustrated that they're not able to do the things they could pre-stroke.
46%
said they now feel negatively about Christmas due to the impact of their stroke.
However, 40% of stroke survivors said family and friends offering to help with the preparation would be a big support. Read the full findings.
More ways to give a meaningful gift this Christmas
Whether it's donating, volunteering or fundraising – your support can make a real difference to stroke survivors and their families.
About our short film
'Still Christmas' tells the story of how different this time of year can be for stroke survivors and their families.
We're here to help you and your family find the strength and determination to get back to life.
Our Stroke Support Helpline will be open on Christmas Eve between 10am and 1pm. Check out our Christmas opening hours here. You can also email us at helpline@stroke.org and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.
In case of emergency, we advise people to call 999. In non-emergency situations, please call NHS 111 in England or Scotland, NHS Direct in Wales (0845 46 47) or GP out of hours service in Northern Ireland. You can find details of other sources of information and support, including Samaritans, here.
Explore our support hub for all the services we provide.
The two-minute film has been created to raise awareness of the life-changing impact of a stroke. And to show what it means to survivors to be facing their first Christmas after a stroke. The film aims to highlight the fear and emotion that comes with realising you've had a stroke at a time of year that is traditionally joyful and spent with family and friends. For stroke survivors and their loved ones, Christmas will be very different. But it’s still Christmas.
The film features home videos from stroke survivors from all four nations, including footage from their recovery journeys. And it's narrated by high-profile supporters.
Yes – it features home videos from real stroke survivors sharing their varied experiences of Christmas after a stroke.
Our film features Brian Cox, Alison Steadman OBE, Nish Kumar, Amanda Abbington, Christopher Chung, Nadia Sawalha, Jo Brand and Kiell Smith-Bynoe. All of the celebrities have a connection to stroke or are passionate about the cause. We're extremely grateful to everyone involved for their support to raise awareness of stroke and its devastating impact.
Although Christmas is used as a hook in this film, the Stroke Association is here to support all stroke survivors and their families for however long it takes. Here, stroke survivors and their families shared home videos about their experience. For them, it was important to highlight Christmas as the example of a celebration where families and friends traditionally spend time together. With lots of people coming together, there's a degree of expectation around being sociable. Families may celebrate another festival, such as Eid or Hannukkah, where stroke survivors feel the same pressure to be sociable.
You can get in touch with our Supporter Relations team directly via the ‘Contact Us’ section of our website. We aim to respond to any questions as soon as possible – usually within five working days.