Hello everyone, hope you all had or are still having a good summer. I thought I would share a wee photo of myself and my partner out enjoying the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
This summer my partner and I decided to go see more shows at the Festival and I’m so glad that I went. As many of you are aware, large crowds and noise can result in sensory overload for many stroke survivors. Luckily I had some earplugs which helped to mute the noise, making the experience more pleasant.
Next month marks my third stroke anniversary and I’m eternally grateful that my partner was there with me when the stroke happened.
Before the stroke my partner and I were in a long distance relationship for 7 years and saw each other every three to six months.
My partner came to visit me in Tanzania in August 2020, right in the middle of the pandemic. He was due to leave in early September to fly back to Edinburgh. Luckily he was with me when the stroke happened early in the morning. If he wasn’t there to drive me to the hospital, I wouldn’t be writing this post right now. I lived on my own and my family didn’t always check on me ever though they all lived in the same city as I did.
I’m been living in Edinburgh now for over two years with my partner who have been my carer since the day of my stroke. He’s seen what having a stroke can do to a person living in a society where having a disability is still taboo. And disabled people are hidden away from the general public.
Did you catch the comedy sessions, Mimi Hayes was performing, she is a stroke survivor whose material is all stroke related. It sounds like you have a loving and supportive relationship, I’m always surprised that my partner isn’t bothered by some of the consequences of stroke I have to endure. I usually take a walking stick out with me if I go into public spaces, one day I took a hiking stick, my partner said, “Why are you taking a hiking stick?”, I said that I didn’t want her to be seen with a young chap hobbling about with a cane, and she said, “I don’t care, go and get your cane”.
I hope you enjoyed some of what the fringe has to offer.
I met up with Mimi Hayes and had a chat with her after her show. I know her from the stroke community on Instagram.
My partner is always encouraging me to try out new things even after a stroke. In July we both went kayaking in the Scottish Highlands and he also tried to get me to zip lining too. He does these things as he knows how active I was pre stroke and doesn’t want me to miss out on enjoying life.
Hi Simon, I saw Tutu and loved it. Also saw Adam Kay’s show Undoctored. Earlier this afternoon I was in Portobello Town Hall listening to Jesse Armstrong, the creator and show runner of the US series Succession.
