A unique and honest insight into life after a stroke written by a stroke victim who was already a stroke specialist, and a psychologist who helps others and now has to help herself and her family.
'This is a life changing event...'
In October 2016, Udo Kischka suffered a severe stroke. A large intra-cerebral bleed deep in the right side of his brain. But he was not a typical stroke patient: Professor Kischka was a neurologist and specialist in stroke rehabilitation.
Like all stroke patients, Udo embarked on a journey of recovery. In his case, it was a re-education in his field of expertise. When he uttered the words, 'This is a life changing event' to his wife a few hours after the stroke, he had no idea just how life changing it would be or that there would be still be a good life to be had.
Written by experts on both sides of the fence - a stroke victim who is a stroke specialist, and a psychologist who helps others and now has to help herself and her family - this is a personal and brutally honest story of a family's survival. This accessible and relatable book provides insight and realistic hope about what might lie ahead following a stroke, as well as offering both practical and emotional support.
Dr Helen Kennerley is a consultant clinical psychologist and CBT therapist (NHS) and university tutor (University of Oxford), as well as a founding fellow of the Oxford Cognitive Therapy Centre. She is the author of Overcoming Anxiety and co-author of An Introduction to CBT.
Professor Udo Kischka is a retired consultant neurologist in neuro-rehabilitation (NHS), an academic visitor (University of Oxford) and research visiting fellow (Oxford Brookes University). He is co-editor of The Handbook of Clinical Neuropsychology and the co-author of Head Injury.
'This is a powerful and deeply moving account of a family surviving the physical and psychological trauma of a stroke. This book will be extremely useful to people who have experienced a stroke and their loved ones. Far from simply surviving a stroke, Helen and Udo have expertly turned their experiences into a source of strength, hope and resilience for many people all over the world with bravery, humanity and compassion'
- Dr Michael Bloomfield, Head of the Translational Psychiatry Research Group, University College London
