“I could not identify colours, add or subtract, or retain any short-term memories. However, the most distressing problem was that I had lost the ability to read.”
Those are the words of Oakley woman Linda Perry, also known as Lin, who in 2018 suffered a brain haemorrhage and a stroke which turned her life upside down.
The 69-year-old woke from a long illness and soon realised she could not see properly and had problems with the right-hand side of her body. She has also had issues thinking, understanding, and concentrating.
As she tried to get her life back to some kind of normality, Lin realised that she couldn’t read.
She said: “I could still write and spell but could not read or remember what I had written. It closed so many doors to me.”
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Lin had initial support from Winchester hospital and attended local stroke groups, hoping they would be able to help.
“It seemed like the support groups had no one like me, so I decided to help myself and relearn to read,” Lin recalled. “With the support of my family, I started by relearning the letters of the alphabet and then moving to the very first stage of children’s books. However, as I made progress it become apparent that I had acquired dyslexia, as I struggled to consistently identify letters within the words that I was reading.
“After some time, we had rebuilt my reading skills to those of a six-year-old but that was not good enough for what I wished to achieve. I wanted as much of my old life back as possible, and I set myself the task of being able to read my own post and any subtitles on the television.”
Lin is a retired secretary and PA, and previously developed a passion for family history and within a short period took over running a local family history group.
“I ran this for six years, and over time my administration and organisational skills drew me to more regional involvement within genealogy.”
As Lin’s family tried to help her with her ambition to improve her reading, her husband Brian, 76, stumbled across Read Easy, an adult literacy charity operating in Basingstoke. Its aim is to help people who struggle with their reading due to a variety of reasons.
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Brian said: "The Co-op in Oakley had not long been built when I saw the community support schemes, they were backing. I saw Read Easy was one of the schemes, and we got in contact. After a bit of discussion regarding Lin's circumstances, they agreed to give it a go."
The charity supported Lin over 12 months with two 30-minute seasons each week which widened her reading skills set.
Lin said: “The course is well structured and a great way to learn. They managed to make it a lot of fun.
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“I completed their course and can now read, albeit slowly. I continue to work to improve my comprehension and speed. As a stroke patient, it has helped me relearn to read but has also assisted my powers of memory and retention.
“There is still a way to go but the Read Easy course has positively added to my ambition.”
She added: “The charity and their volunteers were brilliant in supporting me, and it has helped massively in my efforts to read fluently. I am now able to return to my interest in family history research, and for that I am very grateful to Read Easy and the help they provided."
Brian added: "It's been a struggle at times, but we're a team. I couldn't be prouder of her."
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