A stroke survivor who wrote “I am having a stroke” because she was unable to speak at the time has revealed the difficulties she faces as part of a national awareness campaign.

Lin Woodward, 61, from Basildon, is one of the thousands of people living with communication difficulties after suffering a stroke.

Lin had a stroke in November last year which left her unable to move the right side of her body or talk.

She was home with her two grandchildren when she realised she was having a stroke and couldn’t reach for her phone to call her husband.

Instead she managed to write “I’m having a stroke” on a piece of paper.

Lin said: “I just knew that I was having a stroke the second I couldn’t get my spoon to my mouth.

“My whole body started to feel numb. I decided that I needed to stay as calm as possible for my grandchildren.

“I had to use my left hand to write the note because at this point my right side was close to being completely paralysed.

“I thought that if I could make my behaviour into a game for the children, they wouldn’t be scared. So, I pretended to play a game of hide and seek so I could lie under the table and hide my face. Thankfully, my husband came in and called an ambulance. I

n hospital I remember hearing the doctors ask what my preference for resuscitation was. I was fit and healthy, surely this couldn’t be happening to me at 61 years old?

My son spoke clearly and slowly to say I would be resuscitated, and that’s when I decided I was going to fight. As I lay in the bed for days with no feeling down the right side of my body, and barely being able to speak, I wondered if I would ever be able to do all the things I had dreamed of doing with my husband.

“Now almost a year on from my stroke, my speech isn’t the same as it was before, but it’s definitely improving. After my stroke I started a video diary to help others recovering from a stroke. It ended up being so helpful for my own recovery, too.

“I’m very passionate about raising awareness to others.”

The Stroke Association’s Lost for Words campaign aims to raise awareness of the challenges survivors with communication difficulties can face.

Michelle Turner, Stroke Support Coordinator at the Stroke Association, said: “After a stroke, around one in three people have difficulty communicating, which can be both terrifying and isolating. But with the right help, many stroke survivors are able to find new ways to communicate and can rebuild their lives.

“When we first started supporting Lin we knew just how determined she was to communicate with her loved ones again. Since she has been attending our Basildon’s Working Age Stroke group, she’s gone from strength to strength.”

Visit stroke.org.uk/lostforwords.