It is a devastating and terrifying illness that affects around one-third of stroke survivors.

Yet awareness of aphasia and its impact remains limited – even after the family of Hollywood legend Bruce Willis recently revealed he would retire from acting after being diagnosed with the condition.

Now, however, a Dundee woman is helping to boost understanding after telling how she had to learn to read, write and speak again following a stoke – and while battling the same debilitating disorder that struck Willis.

Grandmother-of-six Sheila Forbes, 61, suffered the initial attack in February 2020 and was taken to hospital. She was also left with aphasia, meaning her brain can no longer send the right signals to the mouth. The illness makes verbal communication extremely difficult.

The mother-of-two said she had no idea the recovery from her stoke would leave her forced to learn how to read, write and speak again. She spent two weeks in Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, before being moved to the stroke rehabilitation ward at the city’s Royal Victoria Hospital.

She also found a lifeline of support from the Chest Heart and Stroke Scotland (CHSS) charity, which included pairing her with a volunteer, who has helped her on the road to recovery. Ms Forbes said she was still adjusting to life but was now receiving support organised by Darlene Drummond, East Community Support Services manager for CHSS.

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Describing her experience, she said: “I wasn’t feeling well and felt very dizzy. I called the doctor and I thought I was speaking normally, but the doctor couldn’t understand me and knew something was wrong.

“I couldn’t speak properly, and I could only recognise my sons. “I didn’t know the words for anything, like bed or cup.

“The speech therapist gave me a sheet with little pictures on it so I could point and ask for a cup of tea.

“That really helped me to start speaking again. I have people who call me every day, like my son and my niece, and Sharon calls me every week. I also have carers coming in.

“Without these people’s help, I wouldn’t know anything. I had no idea of all the different ways stroke can affect people.

“At first I couldn’t even say Darlene’s name, but I’ve made so much progress and it’s because of CHSS.

“Darlene introduced me to Sharon, the volunteer who calls me every week. She’s helping me learn how to do things again, like how to do numbers and learning to tell the time.

“I lost all of that because of the stroke.”

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Jackie Slater, aphasia development manager at CHSS, said the charity’s work was vital, adding: “Every day we support stroke survivors in Scotland who are living with aphasia.

“It affects around a third of stroke survivors and can impact your ability to speak, understand, read, write and use numbers. It doesn’t affect someone’s intelligence.

“It can be a very frightening and isolating condition and also hugely frustrating.

“People tell us aphasia can affect every aspect of their lives, not just everyday activities like talking to your friends and family, using the phone or public transport, but also work, relationships and wellbeing.

“Many people have never even heard of aphasia until it affects them or their loved one’s life.

“We want to make sure people across Scotland are more aphasia aware.”

She added: “By understanding what it is like for people to live with aphasia, we can improve awareness of the condition and help thousands of people living with aphasia feel supported in their communities.”