"She gave me hope that there’s a whole life ahead of me”

Cian Caball, 42, from Limerick City, on the support he received after his stroke last year. Cian has outlined his gratitude to his Occupational Therapist, Stephanie Maloney who was a key support for him in the aftermath of his stroke: 

“My speech and language just tanked a lot since I had the stroke. I can’t bring my hands to be fully controllable and I have all kinds of movement but it’s getting there.”

Cian explained that he also has panic disorders sometimes. "My doctors put me in contact with Stephanie Maloney -  she was a great help at the time. She put me in touch with groups like Mid West ARIES (Advancing Recovery in Ireland Education Service), which offers a range of courses, information and educational materials on Recovery and Well-Being in Mental Health in Limerick, Clare and North Tipperary and the Limerick Mental Health Forum. It’s great to get that support because sometimes it’s hard to make people understand what you need and why you need it. But Stephanie was very helpful and very supportive.”

He continues: “She also led to me being with ARIES once a month which made my life a lot better. Most of the people I wouldn’t have known beforehand and I would have been down but I am so grateful for all they did.”

Cian says they helped him go beyond his comfort zone and thanks them for helping him reap the “benefits of driving me outside the box – and meeting the groups. Stephanie did a lot to get me to where I had something to look forward to in life. She gave me hope that there’s a whole life ahead of me.”

 Watch Cian share his gratitude to his occupational therapist - youtube.com