Spectrum of Hope – Ms. Sarah Scott
Spectrum of Hope – Ms. Sarah Scott
In today’s interview series, we bring to you an incredible journey of Ms. Sarah Scott. Ms. Sarah Scott shares her life with Aphasia recovery on her very own YouTube channel. She has thousands of subscribers and loved one’s who support her videos. She lives in the United Kingdom and works with a biopharmaceutical company. We are very delighted to have had this opportunity to chat with her.
In this interview, Ms. Scott shares her journey of discovering life with Aphasia. Her story is that of hope, resilience, and inspiration for all of us.
You can check out her YouTube channel
Picture: Ms. Sarah Scott with her fiancé Mr. Stuart Dickens at their home
Q. Please tell us about yourself and your journey of discovering life with Aphasia.
My name is Sarah Scott and I will be 31 in August 2021. I am working in a clinic-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of novel cancer immunotherapy products.
I had an ischemic stroke when I was 18 at school (like a college/sixth form). At that point in time, I was studying for my A-Levels exam. I was going to university after my exams to study Biology at Swansea. Sarah was lucky to go to the hospital straight away and they found that Sarah had a hole in my heart (PFO). I could not speak at all, could not walk and I had weakness in my right side.
Q. What were your immediate thoughts after the diagnosis and during the intervention process?
I was in hospital and rehabilitation for 5 months. Even though I couldn’t walk the only goal that I wanted to regain was my speech. The hardest part is I could regain my walking very quickly after my stroke. However, my speech was more of an issue and be more difficult to regain. I was also very upset, I felt very isolated and lonely. Having all of my friends going to university and couldn’t communicate as well. Also, because I was so young going to an adult ward was scary at the time.
Q. What would you wish to tell people around the world about aphasia?
I know from my experience that people don’t know what aphasia is. Aphasia is when a person has difficulty with their communication. It’s usually caused by damage to the left side of the brain. It is tricky when all of us are different. For example, I have difficulty with my speech, reading, writing, and numbers, but some just can’t speak. However, some tips are not difficult to adhere to; be patient, have a piece of paper and a pen for the person that has aphasia and you, communicate with drawings and gestures too, one topic at a time, minimize or eliminate background noise eg music or tv. Remember we are human too and speech is not the only communication we have. Be kind to each other.
Q. Please share with us what motivated you to share your life with aphasia?
I was so happy going back to my home but I was doing Speech Therapy in the hospital one session every week. I was regaining some of my words but I felt like my speech was not progressing. So, my mum and I recorded my first video about my story after my stroke and about my aphasia. We were thinking that I could watch it after seeing what my speech was like and our family and friends could watch if they were interested. We didn’t think that strangers would watch it… Like people that have aphasia too or Doctors/nurses/Speech therapists etc! When we realized that people were interested. We wanted to have an updated video every year to track my story about aphasia and we’ve been doing that every year since!
Picture: Ms. Sarah Scott on her Engagement Day
Q. What is your advice for all persons with aphasia and their loved ones?
Be always positive and be hopeful for the future! Having aphasia is tough and it’s not easy. I can drive now, bought a house, have a job and I’ve got a wonderful Fiancé… All of these after having a stroke. You can achieve a wonderful life after having a stroke or brain injury just believe!
Picture: Ms. Sarah Scott’s cats Lola – tabby cat and Tilly – black cat
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