A world without communication is an everyday reality for the 350,000 stroke survivors in the UK with aphasia. One of them is Mark Leather, from Cardiff, who lost the ability to speak at the age of 55.
He collapsed in Cardiff city centre while out walking with his partner Patrick, who said he felt completely helpless by what was happening as no-one came to help. Kady Chatman, Mark's sister, said: "There had been no indication that anything was wrong. It was a huge shock to all of us. Mark was left with paralysis and his speech was affected."
Mark was in hospital for two months following the stoke in 2018 and slowly regained the ability to walk, but his aphasia remains. "Strokes are thieves. It has stolen Mark's life and taken elements that he can never get back. Having aphasia means he has lost the ability to communicate which has resulted in losing his job and his independence. We don’t want it to steal his enjoyment for life as well," Kady added.
