A young Moray woman has spoken out about the need for stroke victims to have proper care and support to aid their recovery.
Hollie Simpson, from Forres, was frightened to leave her home after suffering from an attack two years ago.
It led to the 22-year-old becoming a recluse as she underwent a year of treatment in order to build up her abilities again.
The stroke afftected Miss Simpson’s speech, reading and writing skills and caused her to lose the feeling in the right side of her body – leading her to believe she would never leave her house again.
Now the Forres student, who has also been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, has praised the work of rehabilitation staff from the charity Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS), which enabled her to embark on a university course last year.
She said: “I was too scared to leave the house and did not want to speak to anyone in public. I started to withdraw from the world. It didn’t feel safe.
“It was such a big fear but I was able to face it with the rehabilitation staff. I began to realise people could understand me and I began to get my independence back.
“I don’t think they know just how much they helped me.”
Staff from CHSS made regular phone calls to Miss Simpson to build her confidence in her speech to encourage her to talk to people.
Eventually the student was invited to leave her home in order to meet people in local cafes.
Today (TUES) CHSS launches a campaign, entitled No Life Half Lived, with the aim of getting everyone in Scotland who suffers from chest, heart and stroke conditions, which is estimated to affect a fifth of the population, the care and support they need.
The charity wants to launch a rehabilitation support service by 2021 and increase the amount of help available through their specialist nurses and community groups.
Chief executive Jane-Claire Judson said: “For many of the people that we support, every day activities such as picking up a knife and fork, making a cup of tea or leaving the house can feel like a massive challenge.
“We want to make sure left with chest, heart or stroke conditions is a life lived to the full.”
Donations can be made online at www.chss.org.uk/donate
