An Isle of Wight stroke survivor fears budget cuts, which could see the Island’s stroke support service axed, would be devastating for those who need it after leaving hospital.
Musician Chris Messer and his wife Joeley are among more than 3,000 people who have been supported by the Stroke Association’s service, which is funded by the Isle of Wight Council.
But budget cuts being discussed by the council’s cabinet on Thursday (February 9) could see the charity’s funding reduced or even withdrawn completely.
This is despite the number of people living with the lasting effects of strokes on the Island — 50 per cent higher than the national average.
Chris, 70, said support from the Stroke Association was invaluable to both he and Joeley as he struggled to rebuild his life.
He was at home in Ryde when he had his stroke during the lockdown in 2020.
He said:
“I was recording an album at home, making a cup of tea for Joeley and suddenly the world started going weird.
“I felt very strange, disoriented, and after calling upstairs I threw one of the mugs of tea at the wall to get her attention. That’s all I remember.
"After that it was all ambulance crews and hospital.”
Chris, who now lives in Winford, praised the treatment at St Mary’s Hospital in Newport but says once he was allowed home he and his wife would have had difficulty coping without the support they received from the Stroke Association.
The charity’s stroke support coordinators were able to help the couple with information on his fatigue and headaches, diabetes and problems with memory after stroke.
Chris, whose mother-in-law Barbara died after a stroke, had been a professional musician for many years, playing everything from country to rock, but found to his horror he couldn’t remember how to play the guitar.
“After the stroke I had totally forgotten how to play," he said.
"Everything — scales, chords — I couldn’t remember any of it. I knew what a guitar was but couldn’t remember how to play it.
"The Stroke Association and my wife encouraged me to learn everything again.
“If the support service is cut, (people will) have nowhere to go. It would be devastating."
Two years on from his stroke, Chris remastered the guitar and is looking forward to performing again later this year.
Almost 4,000 people living on the Isle of Wight are recorded by their GPs as having had a stroke.
Jacqui Cuthbert, the charity’s associate director for the South West and Channel Islands, said:
“Every stroke survivor treated by St Mary’s Hospital is currently referred to the service and all are offered support. Last year, this was more than 300 people.
“We understand the financial pressures the council is facing but the service is cost-effective and is simply invaluable for the hundreds of stroke survivors and carers we support every year.”
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