Charlotte Ratcliff has felt the difference connecting with other stroke survivors can make after suffering hers just weeks after giving birth by Caesarean section.
Mother-of-three Charlotte, 37, from Stramshall, Staffs, was unable to see her newborn baby for two weeks after she was born in June 2022 due to her stroke.
After the planned C-section birth Charlotte suddenly collapsed at home in front of her shocked children and husband, who quickly rang for an ambulance.
On arrival at hospital, Charlotte went into cardiac arrest due to blood clots in her lungs and put into an induced coma in a desperate attempt to stop her internal bleeding.
Charlotte explained: “I can close my eyes and hear the voices shouting ‘breathe, Charlotte. Breathe!’ – it’s a terrifying memory.
“From that moment, I lost consciousness, and I don’t remember anything until 10 days later when I woke up from the coma. When I woke up, I was so confused, terrified and felt alone.”
She added: “I also remember the first time I saw my daughter after my stroke. She was five weeks old, and I had missed almost two weeks of her little life – which felt like an eternity at that age.
“I was lying in my bed on the critical care unit – tubes in my nose, beeping machines surrounding me – and there was my little, tiny baby being handed to me.
“It was a miracle I was alive after what I’d been through, and it was a miracle I was holding my baby again.”
Charlotte’s stroke left her with right sided paralysis and communication difficulty called aphasia and she had to spend three months in hospital.
Charlotte said: “Recovery is gruelling. The road is long.
“When I woke up in hospital my right side was severely affected, I had difficulty swallowing and was fed using a tube, and my speech was really challenging. I couldn’t recognise who I was anymore.”
Charlotte was a sales rep before her stroke and is yet to return to work so understands the feeling of being alone in recovery – despite having a hugely supportive family – which led her to try and connect with others.
Charlotte said: “Coming home after a stroke can be a lonely time for many people.
“And while I was so lucky to have a great support network around me, I wished I could speak to someone who really understood what I was going through.
“In January 2023 I opened an Instagram account to share tips and advice on stroke recovery, and to talk to others.
“It has been a huge source of comfort and reassurance, and also a happy place to see my progress. I believe that speaking to others in a similar situation is really helpful.”
Charlotte now wants to continue connecting with others in a similar situation and educate the public on stroke too.
Charlotte added: “I would like to help people understand that stroke is for life but that doesn’t mean it’s the end of your life.
“Every day is different, you will have good days and bad ones. There will be ups and downs. But reaching out to others can help.”