Jack Sagar

When Jack from Barnsley suffered a stroke in Summer 2022, his ability to read, write and speak was snatched away from him. Here, we share Jack’s story and the amazing progress he is making 18-months on.

One evening, whilst enjoying a camping trip in Bakewell with his partner Vicky, Jack’s life changed suddenly. He woke in the middle of the night and fell on the floor. As Vicky went to help him up, she immediately spotted the signs of a stroke and feared the worst.

Within five minutes, Jack was being rushed to Chesterfield hospital, where brain scans confirmed he had indeed suffered a stroke, caused by a blood clot on the brain.

After a thrombectomy, and two weeks on the acute ward at Hallamshire Hospital, doctors confirmed the extent of the damage – Jack’s mobility had been affected but his communication skills – his ability to read, write and talk – had also disappeared.

Jack was soon moved to the Barnsley Stroke Unit where he stayed for three weeks, until he was medical fit to move to The Stroke Rehabilitation Unit at Kendray Hospital. While he made great progress here with his mobility, his communication remained a challenge.

 His partner Vicky explains: “When Jack was is hospital, we were told he had aphasia and recovery would be long haul. Jack was able to say ‘yes’ and ‘no’ but that was about it. After a few weeks he could say ‘you’, but he was struggling to find other words and was still unable to read or write.

 “Jack was always the centre of conversations before his stroke. He was always the one to initiate a chat, so suddenly having aphasia was very frustrating for him.”

 When Jack came out of hospital, he continued to receive care from the NHS, with six-months of speech therapy in his home. But when this ended, both Vicky and Jack were concerned his progress would slow.

 Vicky adds: “We were both really worried that when the NHS support ended, Jack’s brilliant progress would stop. He was so determined to improve, but without the specialist support, we didn’t know how to move forward. This is when we were told about Aphasia Support and Jack started a 12-week course at their App Club at Barnsley Library.”

 The App Club gave Jack access to a trained speech and language therapist, and a supportive volunteer, who delivered one-to-one sessions, using a variety of computer therapy programmes and supported conversation techniques. Here, Jack discovered just how much potential he still had to improve.

“Jack had already mastered saying a selection of single words, but we hasn’t really realised that he was ready to take it to the next level, and start putting them together into short sentences. With the support of his Aphasia Support team, Jack started to say short phrases and now he is able to walk into a café and say ‘latte to go’, which is just fantastic,” says Vicky.

The App Club also gave Jack a real boost in confidence and he has made a great new friend, Bill. They now go to Aphasia Support’s Aphasia Café together, which gives them both the opportunity to socialise in a supported environment. It also gives Vicky a break and the opportunity to chat to other carers in similar positions.

Vicky says: “We cannot rate Aphasia Support highly enough. They haven’t just helped Jack develop his speech, but they have boosted his confidence and given him the opportunity to socialise once again. Thanks to their support, and Jack’s determination, he is in a much happier and healthier place and we are looking forward to seeing what he goes on to achieve next.”