A Voice For Ross

Ross (aged 57) suffered a severe left sided stroke and brain bleed in March 2011 while working in Mackay, Queensland, Australia. Delay in finding Ross meant he was not admitted to the local hospital until a number of hours after the stroke thereby denying him immediate medical assistance and ultimately setting back his chances of a full recovery.

After 6 weeks in Mackay, Ross was transferred into the care of Burwood Hospital in Christchurch where, for the first time, he underwent extensive stroke rehabilitation which allowed him to be discharged into the care of his wife Louise and his two teenage children – one at University in Canterbury and one at University in Dunedin.

Stroke usually affects one side of the brain. Movement and sensation for one side of the body is controlled by the opposite side of the brain.

Ross’s left sided stroke has left him with partial paralysis of the right side of his body. His right arm has limited movement and has not responded to physiotherapy. He is now able to walk unassisted and enjoys visits to the gym at Jellie Park three times a week, ably assisted by close friends. Previously Ross was a great outdoors man enjoying tramping, mountaineering, climbing, triathalon, Ironman and marathon competitions. The gym gives him a sense of independence, a place to improve his strength and the camaraderie of his good group of mates.

The left side of the brain controls the ability to speak and understand language. Ross has been making progress with his speech but as a result of the stroke has “Aphasia” which results in problems speaking and understanding language. People with aphasia are unable to find the words they need to put sentences together, have difficulty speaking, reading, or writing, but does not affect intelligence. Ross has a particularly bad case of aphasia with limited speech and communication difficulties.

Ross requires specialist intensive speech therapy that the public health system is unable to provide for someone who has suffered a severe stroke such as Ross’s.

Specialist speech therapy is expensive and has exhausted Ross and Louise’s finances. After some initial improvements in Ross’s communication skills, Ross’s lack of ability to communicate is the greatest hardship from the stroke. He has good understanding of what others say but lacks the speech and communication skills to participate in discussions.

Ross has so much more he wants to say!

Thank you for reading this and contributing to help Ross find his voice.