Stroke Odysseys – Derry City of Culture 2013

The emotional fall-out of stroke can be overwhelming. A trip to Lourdes offers Jamsie and Christine a surprise cure for depression and tears.

When Ken was a ploughboy he would shout Hough and Heigh to get his horses to pull more to the left or the right. Fifty years later he drew inspiration from the memory of these commands when they took away his driving license because a stroke had resulted in him veering to the left whilst driving.

Coming to terms with the changes wrought by stroke. Here is Jamsie’s story, told by his wife and carer, Christine.

An impending stroke can be signalled by strange changes in perception. Tom tells seeing unexpected colours.

What it means to be a volunteer in Derry’s stroke community.

When the man in your life can no longer fix things around the house you suddenly miss the male skills you had come to depend on. Marie confronts changing a light bulb and mowing the lawn.

When Seamus lost the use of his left hand he couldn’t believe that the useless thing that hung from his arm belonged to him. Then he named his cramped fingers after the members of his boyhood family so that he could get to know them again. A powerful song from Stroke Odysseys performed as part of Derry-Londonderry’s City of Culture 2013.

Jamsie likes to put on his coat without help – however long it takes. Stroke survivors often need to take their own time – meanwhile, the world can wait. It reminds them of who they are.

The first Stroke Odysseys outing for an approach to challenging contemporary music that may not be to all the participants’ tastes. See also The Dismantled Clarinet in Research and Development.