A mum has told how her her 32-year-old daughter has been left unable to speak after suffering a massive stroke and says it "breaks my heart" when she hears her cry from frustration.
Becky Kemp's stroke in November 2019 left her with locked-in syndrome as doctors were surprised it happened to someone so young and healthy, reported LancsLive.
The rare neurological disorder means an individual is completely paralysed with only the muscles which control the eyes still working.
Her mum Ronnie said: "It breaks my heart to see her cry. She's come so far in the three years since the stroke but everything is such a battle for her.
"She can't talk, walk or even sit up on her own so it's incredibly frustrating when she can't speak or explain how she's feeling."
Becky, who worked as communications manager for international research body IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme prior to her stroke, continues to undergo intensive rehabilitation at the The Dean Neurological Centre in Gloucester where the Kemp family now live.
Ronnie does her best to remain strong in front of Becky and her husband John but when it all gets a bit too much she takes herself into the bathroom for a cry.
"I hear her," John said. "I hear something and think 'what's that' and she's crying in the bathroom."
The lives of Becky's parents are now dedicated to helping their daughter.
Thanks to a spell board, Becky is able to communicate using her eyes but not all staff at her rehab unit are trained to use the equipment that gives her some freedom from her debilitating condition.
"Becky says herself that most of her tears are caused by frustration," Ronnie, 67, said.
"But it takes minutes to learn how to use the spell board so we believe it's not too much to ask. Becky's cognition is all there, she knows what she wants to say, but she can't say it and that's incredibly frustrating for her."
Although Becky is able to leave the rehab unit, on day trips out with family and friends, she doesn't want to rely on her parents full-time to care for her and ultimately the aim is to buy a bungalow which is adapted to her needs.
"Grants are available and obviously she will be eligible for benefits and carers but there's a lot of things she will need which won't be provided," John said. "There's a special chair, which Becky has tried, which allows her to stand up but they cost around £26,000 and the NHS, understandably, can't fund that."
As a result Ronnie and John are fundraising in order to pay for special adaptations and equipment which will give Becky a better quality of life once she finally moves into her own home. So far kind supporters have raised more than £31,000 but it's still a drop in the ocean compared to the amount needed to pay for everything Becky needs.
Thanks to Becky's spell board how she hates not being independent.
She said: "I'm not going to say that it's all okay cos it is not. I hate relying on other people for anything and for three years that is what I have had to do. I do wonder if it would be easier to be unaware of the world. But even if I can't fully accept it this is the situation and I can't just give up as I'm not that sort of person. I don't say no to a therapy and always try to improve.
"You don't realise how strong the body is until you can't use it. Communication has been a challenge. I prefer to use the spell board during the day as I still want human interaction. I do email and social media on an eye gaze which is a normal tablet which uses software I can control with my eyes."
You can see updates on Becky's rehabilitation, and donate to the fundraiser here.
