A massive stroke robbed Catriona of her speech.

Then,
one day, her sons were stunned to hear her say: I
love you
By Tessa Cunningham November 2008 UK

New hope: Catriona Grant is learning to talk again.

Mealtimes at Catrionas home are always a lively affair. Her
sons laugh and banter she quizzes them about the day's
events. 'We talk and talk,' says Catriona proudly. 'It makes us
so close.'
Five years ago, aged just 46, she had a major stroke she was
left with aphasia.
Around 250,000 Britons have aphasia. It can occur as a result
of head injuries, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and
cerebral palsy. However, the most common cause is stroke.
About one third of those who survive a stroke will be left with
aphasia. While some lose their speech for a short time, others
suffer permanent speech loss.

Disaster struck in November 2003. Catriona was enjoying an

active weekend. She played hockey every weekend near her
home in Surrey, England.
She'd played a match on the Saturday. 'But I woke up and
found I couldn't get out of bed. I couldn't move my body. She
managed to call out to her sons - at that stage she could still
speak.
Ross rang for an ambulance and Catriona was rushed to
hospital. The stroke had paralysed the entire right side of her
body: she couldn't walk, talk or feed herself.
'I remember shaking my head when the doctors asked me
questions. Did I have high blood pressure? Did I smoke? Did I
drink heavily? Was I stressed?' she recalls.
She did not have any of the usual risk factors for stroke. It
can happen and they don't know why.'
Catriona spent the next three months in hospital - relatives
cared for her sons. 'I was so lost and terrified,' she says. 'I felt
I'd fallen into a deep pit and could never struggle out again. Yet
I had to - for the sake of my children.'
In January 2004, she was transferred from to a rehabilitation
centre. It was the start of a very long journey. She did
exercises to help strengthen her limbs. She also had intense
speech therapy sessions. 'All I could do was grunt. No one
could understand me. I've always been a chatterbox. Now I
could only make animal noises.
She was very frustrated. She found it difficult to write her
right side was paralysed. She used her left hand and her

writing was very slow. It was almost a year before she could
count past three. As well as speech loss, aphasia can affect
the ability to comprehend and read.
Catriona was finally discharged from hospital in May 2004 - six
months after suffering her stroke. Back home, she had a
weekly visit from a speech therapist.
'From the moment I could first make a sound, I'd been telling
the boys: "I love you," she says. 'Although the words were all
clear in my head, they couldn't interpret my grunts.
'Then one day in August 2004 they were sitting beside me on
the sofa. I hugged them and very, very slowly and carefully I
said "I love you." We all sobbed.' But her speech was still so
unclear - only close friends and family could understand her.
Then a few months later, Catriona heard about a charity that
helps people with problems communicating. Connect (in
London) works alongside people with aphasia and their families
- it's not speech therapy. It is about building confidence in
speaking, and communicating their needs.
People with aphasia are also trained to teach the people around
them how to communicate better with those with aphasia.
Connect has very good results in helping people learn to talk
again.
Catriona was taken to Connect by a friend. 'I was still only
able to form a few words,' she recalls. 'One of the therapists
asked me what job I used to do. When I couldn't explain in
words, she asked me to draw instead.

'I carefully wrote the letters P and E, to try to show that I had
been a PE teacher and I drew a little picture. 'She understood
instantly - at last I was making headway. I had hope.
'Meeting other stroke patients, many even younger than me,
was also hugely helpful. Until then I felt terribly isolated.
She still finds talking very tiring - she has to concentrate so
hard. But she has made massive strides. 'A few months ago a
friend got married and I read a short poem at the wedding,'
she recalls. 'I was thrilled. It was one of the proudest days of
my life. Doctors say that it can take a good ten years for
speech to return fully. I have a long way to go but I can't
believe I have come so far.'
Meanwhile, she loves the special bond she has with her sons. 'I
look back at my old life - there are many things I miss - a
stimulating career, a salary. But there are so many bonuses.
'Now we talk all the time - about anything and everything - and
it's made us so much closer. Learning to talk again has been
very hard - I have never thought of giving up. I want to live life
to the full.'

Prince Charles talking to people with aphasia at Connect. The

charity helped Catriona regain her ability to speak.