Edna's Diary: Writing again after Stroke

If you have a stroke, it may leave you with difficulty in understanding what people are saying and in communicating to them in speech or writing what you yourself want to say. This is known as ‘aphasia’. With speech and language therapy, however, it is possible to recover much of your communication ability, including speaking, reading and writing. A valuable part of your therapy might be keeping a diary, which could be just a few lines to begin with but grow as your aphasia is overcome.

This book is a triumphant example of what is possible. Edna Miles had a stroke one Christmas Eve that left her with only 20% of her language faculty. She began NHS language therapy in the New Year and was able to start a diary a year later. The diary took off and she wrote it for the next five years. Two years after starting therapy, she had achieved 89% language recovery.

Edna’s Diary is both funny and thought-provoking. It covers everything from her daily life, cookery and friends to amusing incidents, gardens, and news and views. Writing her diary and ‘mini-memories’ (also featured here) helped Edna re-learn how to communicate, gave her a daily occupation, and brought light into a lot of people’s lives, especially her family’s.

Read Edna’s Diary and be inspired to write one of your own!