A DAD from Winchester has told of the moment his life changed forever when he suffered a devastating stroke that left him unable to walk or speak.

Lloyd Brammer, from Oliver's Battery, had been out for a run in October 2016. When he returned he started to feel strange, before collapsing.

The previously fit and healthy fine art dealer suffered a stroke, which left him unable to move and saw him spend two years in a wheelchair.

He has shared his story in a bid to promote a support group called Say Aphasia, which has set up a Winchester branch, and to promote better understanding of brain injury Aphasia.

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He said: "I was running near to where I live and when I came home I felt funny and my arm was weak.

"My son was asleep downstairs. I carried him up up to his room and I felt funny, I knew it was a stroke. My wife Asia is a GP, but she was asleep. I fell to the floor and cried out in pain, my wife found me and called an ambulance.

"The first responder came but the real ambulance took two hours. I couldn't do anything about it."

After a period in hospital, where Lloyd could not move, he started to slowly recover, spending another two years using a wheelchair.

Through sheer determination, he has taught himself to walk again and he now uses a stick.

Amazingly, he also taught himself how to talk again, and although he finds it difficult, he loves to sing, especially songs such as Feeling Good.

Hampshire Chronicle: Say Aphasia in Winchester

The 61-year-old said: "Five years ago I couldn't even hum a note, now I can communicate and I can write well and I read, but sometimes people with Aphasia cannot do any of those things."

Lloyd, who is dad to Kalinka, aged 11, and Kaietan, nine, said he has found solitude and support at Say Aphasia, a new group for sufferers of the brain injury Aphasia.

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He said that recent media coverage of actor Bruce Willis, who was diagnosed with the condition, has also helped with public understanding.

However he urged anybody in the area who wants help or support with the condition to get in touch.

He said: "We cover Winchester where we meet fortnightly. My friend Jez Hodgkinson runs it with me supporting him and acting as his deputy.

"Most of all my stroke friends attend this informal group where we all support each other with peer support. I personally held weekly coffees at my house, and since it's progressed into something bigger."

The group meets fortnightly on Mondays at St Peters Church, Jewry Street, Winchester. For more go to sayaphasia.org/

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