They never let me give up says stroke survivor Pat

After experiencing a catastrophic stroke while on holiday, 68-year-old Pat Howard faced a tough road to recovery, until our Community Neurological Rehabilitation Team helped her feel at home again.

“That’s it, Pat, stand slowly,” said KCHFT physiotherapist, Ogechi Amaefule. “Just one small step and turn yourself around.”

Pat at home with physiotherapist, Ogechi Amaefule and physiotherapy apprentice, Rebekah Boyce.

In the middle of her Broadstairs living room, 68-year-old Pat Howard slowly lifted her left foot. Supported by a quad stick and with the encouragement of her physiotherapist, she moved herself from chair to bed.

Moments like these are quietly heroic. For former nurse, Pat, they’ve come to define her recovery: Not sudden leaps, but small steps.

Nearly two years ago, Pat was given hours to live after a catastrophic stroke on a family holiday in Nantes, France. She’d gone from waterslides and barbecue dinners to lying unconscious in a French hospital with brain swelling, after which half her skull was removed. The operation led to a bleed on the brain.

Pat and Tony Howard in their garden at home.

“It all happened so fast,” said Tony, her husband of 45 years. “She was splashing about with the grandchildren one day and the next, we were being told to say goodbye.”

Today, she's back home, embracing life. And it is thanks, she says, to our Community Neurological Rehabilitation Team.

The team are made up of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, dieticians and nurses. They visit people in their own homes, to help them get them back to living their lives.

“They never let me give up,” Pat said. “And they never stopped reminding me how far I’ve come. I do get frustrated, but when I’m low, the team will me on.”

Pat understands what it is to care, having worked as a nurse for the bulk of her career at the Queen Elizabeth Queen Mother (QEQM) Hospital in Margate.

She said: “My training gave me the confidence to talk openly with medical staff about my condition. Sometimes though, that could be a negative. I knew the road ahead of me was long. I was frightened.”

The stroke left Pat at first unable to speak clearly, swallow, or sit unaided. She was transferred back to the UK by private ambulance and spent weeks in hospital, followed by 15 weeks at our stroke rehabilitation unit, Westbrook House in Margate. She eventually managed to improve in every area and go home.

She recalled: “It was exactly what I was desperate for, but when I got back, it was also a shock.  At Westbrook, I made progress, but I found everything harder at home. The community team changed everything.”

Pat went on to receive care from the team three to four times a week.

“The difference is, it is happening in familiar surroundings,” Pat said. “They see what I actually need – how to get from the bed to the bathroom, or transfer into the car. They also work with us as a family, both Tony and my daughters follow the advice of my physiotherapists.”

Tony, 68, a retired insurance broker, added: “I was given a training session to assist Pat with a piece of equipment called a Sara Steady, to help get her from a to b. It really made a difference. Pat has been so strong, I didn’t want to let her down so it was nice to learn something and be useful.”

Pat at home, with physiotherapy apprentice, Rebekah Boyce.

Rebekah Boyce, a physiotherapy apprentice who works with Pat, explained: "We focus on functional recovery – helping her do everyday things that really matter, like standing up safely or walking to the toilet unaided. We do this by setting small, achievable goals.

“Just recently, we worked on a step-round transfer, “added Ogechi. “This is a way of moving safely from one position to another by standing and taking small, supported steps to turn or pivot. This will give Pat independence, because at the moment, she relies on equipment someone else has to operate.

“Being treated at home makes a huge difference. Pat is learning to move around in her actual environment, not just a clinical one. It’s incredibly rewarding to watch someone grow in confidence, like Pat has."

For Tony, the home-based care has been life-changing. “It’s restored her confidence, bit-by-bit. It also means we can enjoy things together: Short drives, meals out, visits from friends and time with family.”

Pat lights up when she talks about her grandchildren, who visit often. They have really felt the impact of her losing her mobility, but she doesn’t let it stop her from savouring each moment.

“Not long ago, we picked my grandson up from school after I’d had a good physio session. He said: ‘Grandma, I heard you did a little walk… can you run now?’ I used to chase them around the garden when I was well. I had to explain that sadly, it would be a bit difficult for me to do that now. But, it doesn’t matter because I was still here and I could watch his granddad chase him instead.”

Pat still faces daily challenges that come with having no function in her left arm and her mobility being compromised. Despite this, she feels hope.

“My sister-in-law turned 70 recently and we went out to a restaurant. I thought we’d stay for about an hour, but we stayed all night! It was a great time, laughing and enjoying a nice meal. It was the first time in a long time I’d felt a glimmer of myself return. Little wins like using the disabled toilet without any help really mean the world.”

Looking ahead, she’s exploring trying new things like hydrotherapy and continuing to work on balance and walking. She is also in the process of moving to an accessible home. Her advice to anyone else going through the same thing is ‘never give up’.

“Focus on what you can do, not what you can’t,” she said. “Every little milestone builds to a big change. I’d also say, if you can get treated at home, then do it.”

Our Community Neurological Rehabilitation Team support patients in their own homes who may have had a stroke, brain injury or long-term condition like Multiple sclerosis (MS).