Hope stroke victim from Skegness will sing again

A Skegness woman who is still recovering from two strokes that dramatically changed her life is hoping the power of song will bring her new hope.
Pam Ormrod, pictured with husband Barry, is hoping singing lessons will help her recover from a stroke. ANL-180502-142644001Pam Ormrod, pictured with husband Barry, is hoping singing lessons will help her recover from a stroke. ANL-180502-142644001
Pam Ormrod, pictured with husband Barry, is hoping singing lessons will help her recover from a stroke. ANL-180502-142644001

Pam Ormrod, 54, was struck by the condition in 2016 after previously suffering a TIA (transient ischaemic attack or mini stroke) – leaving her unable to walk or hold a pen to write her name.

The popular childminder was forced to give up her job and her joy of singing – but now, thanks to the Stroke Association, she may soon find her voice again.

Husband Barry said it had been a difficult two years, seeing his wife’s mood plunge into deep depression because the stroke had attacked the part of the brain that produces the chemical that keeps you happy.

Barry, who was featured in the Standard last year when they held a fundraiser for the Stroke Association, said: “She is still recovering – it isn’t easy seeing someone you love unable to be herself. She used to keep fit and adored her job as childminder.”

However, with the help of the Stroke Association, they are hoping will be able to sing again with the help of a grant to pay for lessons at the Piano Academy.

“We are hoping this will help with her depression because she loved singing so much,” said Barry.

Their story comes in a week when Public Health England launched a national Act F.A.S.T. stroke campaign, following statistics that revealed just under 92,000 people on GP registers in the East Midlands have had a stroke and, in 2016, just over 2,500 died from a stroke.

The Stroke Association’s latest State of the Nation report reveals that in the UK almost two thirds (65 per cent) of stroke survivors leave hospital with a disability.

The campaign urges the public to call 999 if they notice even one of the signs of a stroke.

* Face – has their face fallen on one side? Can they smile?

* Arms – can they raise both their arms and keep them there?

* Speech – is their speech slurred?

* Time – time to call 999

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