Michael Standing

It was Easter Saturday so there was nothing to get up for, I woke up about 6.30am to get to the toilet. As I came to the room seemed to keep spinning, I tried to stand up but I fell on the floor, so I crawled to the toilet and back again. My wife Wendy was still asleep as she had to get up at 8am to do a cleaning job. I fell back to sleep, stirred when she got up and I said "I wasn't feeling to well" she replied " should I go to work" I said "yes" and off she went.

At about 12.30pm she phoned up to ask how I was and my girls said that I was still in bed so she said that she would come home. Wendy found me still in bed I was also being sick and bringing up blood my right side had gone all weak Next thing I knew I was going to hospital lights flashing etc,etc.

It seemed hours being in the treatment room going in and out of sleep/ conciseness. They thought I had food poisoning. So they transferred me to Joyce Green Hospital, and I was put on the heart ward. After a few days I was transferred to the day op's ward until a place came available in the Stroke Ward, where I will spend the next 3 months in rehab.

I was surprised to find that I was the only 'young' person on the ward the rest were generally older than me. My wife and children came up every day this kept my moral up through this difficult times. I started slowly by sitting up in bed, to eating my meals beside it and finally by eating at the table. Having a shower was a big surprise they had a walk in type with side access for the nurses to give a hand where necessary (i.e. Washing body or /and hair) I was having all sorts of tests eye, thyroid scan, CAT and of course MIR you know the smartie tube thing that makes a lot of noise so you can't even sleep during the scan.

On St. Georges day being a Cub Scout Leader of seven years I was determined to attend the parade in Woolwich SE London, this I was able to do with the help of my family. The full support of all the Scouting family was terrific.

All of this was backed by the help and assistance of the nursing and physio staff who were brilliant in every thing they done. They even had me and another patient going for their breakfasts from the canteen (a full cooked breakfast) which was very tempting indeed. We were forced to do bed exercises walk up and down stairs and many other grand things by our rehab team.....(God bless them) I'm sure that they loved to see you in pain and as they said no pain - no gain Humbug!!!!!!! I am sure it is not meant to hurt THAT MUCH. Just after I had left they moved the 'stroke ward' to Gravesend.

So in July I was able to leave the security of the hospital to go home, home to sit in a chair with nothing to do except look down on life, was this it - was this all that I had to look forward to.....besides hospital 3-4 times a week for rehab and OT and a 'stroke club' ran by the hospital.

The next few months were my depression months and the chip was getting bigger, why? I was told that it was a warning sign. I had to chase up social services for help and I found a respite centre called 'The Whitehall Day Centre' which was run by Bexley Council was my first place of help and guidance. It was not until March 1998 when I was offered a computer course called Disability To Employment (DTE) funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) this was and is still great they run a course for any disabled person living in Bexley.

I feel that I am nearly ready to try some work of some sort knowing that I have the full backing of my family, friends and my fellow students from college.

I still go twice a year to the Salisbury Health Care for my drop foot stimulator & adjustment and lot's of drugs per day, but all this keeps me ticking over.

I am now a Scout Leader for disabled children of which there are only a few in the country, and I run the 46th Woolwich Scoutlink Group which is now in Charlton School.

Oh well, keep positive about things and don't let them get you down as there IS someone worse off than you somewhere! Let's show them we can do things as well if not better at times.

Thanks to Michael for sending in his profile. Anyone else who would like to share their story can send it along with a photograph (if you're not shy!)

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