{"id":11079,"date":"2026-09-17T14:04:31","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T04:04:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/?page_id=11079"},"modified":"2026-09-17T14:37:31","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T04:37:31","slug":"consumer-stories-bridget","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/patients-visitors\/consumer-stories-bridget","title":{"rendered":"Consumer stories: Bridget"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 fusion-flex-container has-pattern-background has-mask-background nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:89.44rem;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_3_4 3_4 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:75%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:2.56%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:2.56%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-title title fusion-title-1 fusion-sep-none fusion-title-text fusion-title-size-one\"><h1 class=\"fusion-title-heading title-heading-left\" style=\"margin:0;\">Consumer stories: Bridget<\/h1><\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\"><div class=\"qld__video-wrapper\"><div class=\"qld__video-embed\"><div style=\"padding:56.25% 0 0 0;position:relative;\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/1222591413?badge=0&amp;autopause=0&amp;player_id=0&amp;app_id=58479\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;\" title=\"Consumer story - Bridget\"><\/iframe><\/div><\/div><div class=\"qld__video-meta\"><div class=\"qld__video-meta-caption\">Bridget shares the story of her husband\u2019s stroke and aphasia<\/div><div class=\"qld__video-meta-duration\"><div class=\"qld__video-meta-duration-clock\"><i class=\"fal fa-clock\"><\/i><\/div><div class=\"qld__video-meta-duration-text\">Duration: 2:06<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"qld__video-transcript\"> <div class=\"qld__video-transcript-accordion\"><button class=\"qld__video-transcript-title qld__video-accordion-closed\" aria-expanded=\"false\"><svg class=\"qld__video-file-icon\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 384 512\"><path d=\"M369.9 97.9L286 14C277 5 264.8-.1 252.1-.1H48C21.5 0 0 21.5 0 48v416c0 26.5 21.5 48 48 48h288c26.5 0 48-21.5 48-48V131.9c0-12.7-5.1-25-14.1-34zm-22.6 22.7c2.1 2.1 3.5 4.6 4.2 7.4H256V32.5c2.8.7 5.3 2.1 7.4 4.2l83.9 83.9zM336 480H48c-8.8 0-16-7.2-16-16V48c0-8.8 7.2-16 16-16h176v104c0 13.3 10.7 24 24 24h104v304c0 8.8-7.2 16-16 16zm-48-244v8c0 6.6-5.4 12-12 12H108c-6.6 0-12-5.4-12-12v-8c0-6.6 5.4-12 12-12h168c6.6 0 12 5.4 12 12zm0 64v8c0 6.6-5.4 12-12 12H108c-6.6 0-12-5.4-12-12v-8c0-6.6 5.4-12 12-12h168c6.6 0 12 5.4 12 12zm0 64v8c0 6.6-5.4 12-12 12H108c-6.6 0-12-5.4-12-12v-8c0-6.6 5.4-12 12-12h168c6.6 0 12 5.4 12 12z\"\/><\/svg><span>Show transcript<\/span><\/button><div class=\"qld__video-transcript-accordion-body\"><div class=\"qld__video-transcript-accordion-body-wrapper\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<h2>Transcript<\/h2>\n<p>John had a stroke in 2021. It was a wake up stroke. He fell off the bed at 3:00 AM. I allowed him a little bit of time to get up off the bed, back onto the bed, and realized that when I asked him a few questions, they were weird. So I called Triple O. They came, and he was in the hospital by 4:00 AM.<\/p>\n<p>CT scans revealed that he&#8217;d had a fairly large stroke, left hemisphere. And we&#8217;ve since understood that left hemisphere is mainly associated with language loss, and that became our challenge. The main challenge was something called aphasia, which very few people know about. There is no training for aphasia in medical, clinical, nursing worlds. We would love to see that happen because aphasia means that there is language loss, cognitive loss, comprehension loss, and no ability to express. The intelligence hasn&#8217;t gone, but it&#8217;s just the fact that expression can&#8217;t happen.<\/p>\n<p>The global statistics are one in four will have a stroke in their lifetime, and 40% to 60% of them will have aphasia or some sort of language challenge, and yet nobody knows about it. The word is unknown. People give up on elderly people in a big way. If they had spent the time while we were in hospital, they would have understood that we were drivers, that we were wanting recovery, we were wanting quality of life still. John was playing tennis up until the stroke at 79. We&#8217;d started a new business at 79 and 73. So we were gunning for whatever we could possibly get out of the recovery phase. We wanted that quality of life.<\/p>\n<p>My strong suggestion is that people take an interest in aphasia and get training for aphasia or give training for aphasia. Communication is a basic human right, and yet people with aphasia have no ability to communicate, and that makes working with anybody extremely hard. And sometimes it can be seen as a deficit that people take personally, and there can be some huge misinterpretations in that translation.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-1 fusion_builder_column_1_4 1_4 fusion-flex-column rhs-col\" style=\"--awb-padding-top:40px;--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:25%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:7.68%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:7.68%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\" data-scroll-devices=\"small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-builder-row-inner fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"width:104% !important;max-width:104% !important;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column_inner fusion-builder-nested-column-0 fusion_builder_column_inner_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column contact-us\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\" data-scroll-devices=\"small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:20px;width:100%;\"><\/div><div ><a class=\"fusion-button button-flat fusion-button-default-size button-darkgreen fusion-button-darkgreen button-1 fusion-button-span-yes fusion-button-default-type\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/contact-us\"><span class=\"fusion-button-text awb-button__text awb-button__text--default\">Contact us<\/span><\/a><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:20px;width:100%;\"><\/div><div ><a class=\"fusion-button button-flat fusion-button-default-size button-darkgreen fusion-button-darkgreen button-2 fusion-button-span-yes fusion-button-default-type\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/healthcare-services\"><span class=\"fusion-button-text awb-button__text awb-button__text--default\">Healthcare services<\/span><\/a><\/div><div class=\"fusion-separator fusion-full-width-sep\" style=\"align-self: center;margin-left: auto;margin-right: auto;margin-top:20px;width:100%;\"><\/div><div ><a class=\"fusion-button button-flat fusion-button-default-size button-darkgreen fusion-button-darkgreen button-3 fusion-button-span-yes fusion-button-default-type\" target=\"_self\" href=\"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/locations\"><span class=\"fusion-button-text awb-button__text awb-button__text--default\">Locations<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":0,"parent":10334,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_searchwp_excluded":"1","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11079","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/89"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11079"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11079\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11094,"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/11079\/revisions\/11094"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/10334"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/metronorth.health.qld.gov.au\/community\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}