This Tuesday, October 29, was World Stroke Day. A day dedicated to raising awareness and the importance of identifying the onset of the first symptoms for rapid treatment. For Antenne Réunion, Michel, 65 years old, victim of 3 accidents, testifies how his life changed.
With a smile always plastered on his lips, Michel is a fighter. He survived 2 strokes and 1 TIA, sort of a precursor to a stroke. Former car dealership manager, his life was turned upside down following his stroke.
“I know who I was before and I know who I am now and it's a war. Before I liked it, now I don't like it anymore. Before I had lots of friends, after the stroke I had fewer friends and today I have none at all.
Only one person has never let Michel down: his wife. The couple overcame the ordeal of the illness. “Looking at herself, she knows what I'm thinking.” With the stroke, he lost his words.
He now holds a priority parking card. The after-effects of his stroke cause him fatigue and loss of balance. “The negative side of that, I don't have a disability that people can see and from there it's always stealing the place of a disabled person who is entitled to these places and me when people look at me I don't I have no right to it. I received a card from the French State. From there, there is a handicap that you see or you don't see, it doesn't matter.”
Michel's story surely resonates with many.
Réunion is one of the departments most affected by strokes.
