A mum said her "heart breaks" every time she hears her daughter cry after a devastating stroke.
Becky Kemp's stroke in November 2019 left her with locked-in syndrome and doctors were shocked that someone so young and healthy could be struck down by the condition. The rare neurological disorder means Becky is completely paralysed with only the muscles which control the eyes still working.
Becky, who was 32 at the time, worked as communications manager for international research body IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme. Her mum Ronnie said she does her best to remain strong in front of Becky and her husband John but when it all gets too much she takes herself into the bathroom to cry.
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Ronnie, who's originally from Skelmersdale, told LancsLive : "It breaks my heart to see her cry. She's come so far in the three years since the stroke but everything is such a battle for her. She can't talk, walk or even sit up on her own so it's incredibly frustrating when she can't speak or explain how she's feeling."
Becky continues to undergo intensive rehabilitation at The Dean Neurological Centre in Gloucester where the Kemp family lives. Unable to speak Becky uses a spell board - a laminated alphabet used to help non-speaking adults communicate.
Although Becky can leave the rehab unit on day trips out with family and friends, she doesn't want to rely on her parents full-time to care for her. But ultimately the aim is to buy a bungalow that can be specially adapted to suit Becky's needs.
Ronnie who is 67, said: "Becky says herself that most of her tears are caused by frustration. Becky's cognition is all there, she knows what she wants to say, but she can't say it and that's incredibly frustrating for her.
"Grants are available and she will be eligible for benefits and carers but there's a lot of things she will need which won't be provided. There's a special chair, which Becky has tried, which allows her to stand up but they cost around £26,000 and the NHS, understandably, can't fund that."
As a result, Ronnie and John are fundraising to pay for special adaptations and equipment which will give Becky a better quality of life once she finally moves into her own home. So far kind supporters have raised more than £31,000 but it's still a drop in the ocean compared to the amount needed to pay for everything Becky needs.
Becky's said: "I'm not going to say that it's all okay because it is not. I hate relying on other people for anything and for three years that is what I have had to do. I do wonder if it would be easier to be unaware of the world. But even if I can't fully accept it this is the situation and I can't just give up as I'm not that sort of person. I don't say no to therapy and always try to improve."
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