Paul Baillie Coaching
My Journey
It was 6 months after my stroke and we had a small gathering of our closest friends. Standing outside with three of them, listening to the banter fly around was one of the loneliest experiences of my life. In that moment I’d have given anything to be able to join in, but I simply couldn’t. I also couldn’t see how I was going to ever accept what had happened to me and work out a way forward.
My stroke left me with a condition called Aphasia that affects the communication areas in the brain. There is no one Aphasia, no standard treatment, it is in fact a very personal condition. Over time it introduces other side effects , like confidence until that becomes as much a part of the condition. It’s like an onion, peeling away layer by layer. For me at first it was physical, then speech, then memory and finally confidence
It’s three years since that day with my friends and life is very different. I can now join in, and sure, sometimes I can stutter and struggle to find the words but I can roll with that. I also understand what environments suit me best and I have discovered there are some pre-stroke experiences I no longer want in my life. I have rebuilt my identity and my confidence.
Everyone was supportive but I knew I wanted more
The NHS offered what they could and I appreciated the people I came into contact with. As with many life changing events, this is intensely personal and each person recovers their own way. What I discovered is that I had to work that out for myself. I had to explore every alley I could think of and I went up many blind ones! It was through support of friends, coaches, my family and my own curiosity I was able to discover the right paths for me.
There is no manual telling you what to do when you come out of hospital. After the shock of everything started to subside, and I understood what I could and couldn’t access for support, I realised had to write that manual myself.
Some of the things I did seemed so small yet had a massive impact.
If I had had someone to talk to, share my thoughts, work out what I wanted to try next, help me with ideas and chart my journey it would have been invaluable. This is what I offer to you.
WHAT THEY SAY
After 4 years I needed someone to support me with my Aphasia. Paul was fantastic, he really listened and understood what I was going through. I cannot praise him enough.
Chris M
