Comedian Gene Fitzpatrick is urging people to support a health charity that “gave me so much hope” after he suffered a devastating stroke.
The 78-year-old said the assistance and advice he received from the Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke (NICHS) has been “invaluable”.
Recalling the day he took ill, he said he had “no outward signs of a stroke - no fallen mouth, no drooped eye, nothing like that”, but“ when I started to try and talk, it sounded all wrong”.
“When the paramedics arrived they spent about 20 minutes trying to work out what was wrong,” he said.
“They took me to Craigavon Area Hospital and after tests the doctor told me I should have been on blood thinners to prevent blood clots.
“He then informed me that I had had a stroke. That was a huge shock.
“One of the nurses gave me a drink of water and I coughed and spluttered, and they told me my swallow had gone.
“The following day I was 10 times worse than the day I had the stroke. I lost my voice as well as my swallow and the power on my left-hand side had gone.”
Mr Fitzpatrick began his recovery through walking exercises on a machine.
He was later transferred to Lurgan Hospital for more rehab and given a PEG feeding tube into his stomach.
Spending three months in hospital before returning home, he credits much of his progress to the support he received from NICHS.
Starting with the charity’s post rehab exercise programme, he said: “It involves a combination of education and physio-developed exercises and the physios and NICHS staff that lead the sessions are great.”
He added that through NICHS’s surviving stroke wellness sessions, he has “made so many friends and I’ve been able to help and encourage others which is really what it’s all about”.
Ursula Ferguson from NICHS said the charity was dedicated to supporting people in adjusting to life with a stroke condition, “helping them to enjoy life to the full, re-engage with hobbies, and improve their confidence, independence, and overall quality of life”.
Please visit nichs.org.uk/care-and-support/stroke-support for information.
