A Stroke of Genius

It comes as a great shock when the active and very articulate man you have shared your life with for sixty odd years has a stroke and loses all his speech. Mick Sutton knew his wife, but could not speak her name. He could not write his own, could hardly make sense of the hospital menu, let alone read his paper or a book. His frustration was palpable. Then he met Fiona, his Speech Therapist, whose guidance worked wonders. Gradually she built up Micks speech and his ability to write grammatically. I think if I had to describe Micks approach to rehabilitation it was that he saw it as a new job, Fiona explains. He was very disciplined and motivated, and I have no doubt that his letters and postcards sent to me during a world cruise, reproduced in this volume with very few language or stylistic corrections, will indicate his progress. The letters and postcards written by Mick while on a world cruise is a saga of recovery and an inspiration for others who have to overcome the challenges of a stroke or similar unexpected changes or hurdles in their lives.