Living with aphasia: Nottinghamshire man tells his story
64-year-old Peter McGriskin, from Ravenshead, suffers with aphasia - a condition caused by brain damage that affects speech and language.
When he was 61, Peter had two strokes within four days, leaving him unable to speak for 14 months.
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Before this, he was as an engineer. He says having aphasia ended his career.
Peter now communicates using gestures, drawing, writing and some speech and describes his progress as “slow… but there is progress!”
He said: “I’ve had to strive to be outgoing, as there is a danger of becoming isolated and losing self-confidence.”
Peter, who has two children with his wife Carol, added that his stroke changed the lives of the whole family.
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“Aphasia has brought me and Carol closer together. We have to try harder to have conversations and to find a new normality to our lives.
“Our children are more aware of the fragility of life, take less for granted and make more effort to keep in touch.”
Speech and language therapists from County Health Partnerships hosted an aphasia awareness event last week.