Paul Priestley continue with his therapy

Hi, my name is Philippa and I am trying to raise funds so that Paul can continue his therapy….

On the 29th July 2024, my world fell apart when my partner and best friend Paul Priestley at the age of 45 had a stroke. He had surgery to remove the clot and we thought he was out of the woods but unfortunately 2 days later he had a further massive bleed on the brain which resulted in him needing lifesaving surgery to save his life. This involved the surgeons needing to remove the left side of his skull to relieve the pressure on his brain. The second bleed left Paul with paralysis down his right side.

Following this he was placed in the I.T.U of Southampton General Hospital.

What followed was months of pain and uncertainty for Paul and his whole family. For months he worked continuously to get back to some sort of normalcy.

Due to the paralysis down his right side, Paul had to learn how to balance again so he could be moved in and out of the bed or wheelchair without the use of a hoist. He had to learn how to walk again, firstly aided by someone else, eventually taking a few steps on his own using a stick. A slow process but Paul never gave up.

Paul is home now after a lengthy stay in hospital but has been left with severe right sided weakness in his leg so his mobility is affected and has no movement in his right arm. He also has aphasia so struggles with his speech and memory.

For everyone who knows Paul, will know that he was always a very hard working man who had a passion and flair for cooking (which he was doing prior to the stroke and was excellent at everything he produced). Unfortunately due to his loss of movement in his arm he has been unable to return to his work.

Paul is currently receiving Physio, Occupational and Speech therapy through funding but unfortunately this is coming to an end in the next few weeks.

I truly believe that if Paul was given the chance of ongoing therapy, along with his shear tenacity and strength of character, he could regain the use of his arm and speech - something we are all desperately hoping for, so he can claim back some independence.

I am starting this fundraiser so that Paul can continue with his therapy and so that we can purchase equipment needed to help Paul continue to regain the use of his arm.

This is a position we never would have thought we would find ourselves in.

Thank you so much for taking the time to read Paul’s story and feel free to share…..