Real Life: My dad's determined to walk me down the aisle

Jan 22 2012 by Zoe Chamberlain, Sunday Mercury

I REALLY want my dad to walk me down the aisle at my wedding in June.

Nothing unusual about that, you might think. It’s every girl’s dream.

But my dad suffered a stroke at the end of last year and it left him paralysed down the left side of his body.

He couldn’t move his left arm or leg. He couldn’t walk or read. He’s had to learn to do that again.

So that’s why it’s my very special wish; that’s why I want the dream to come true.

Dad, who lives in Bridgnorth, Shropshire, was working in York at the end of October when he had the stroke. It was awful because his family weren’t near him.

Fortunately a shopkeeper realised what was happening to him immediately and called for an ambulance.

We are so thankful to him.

I dread to think what would have happened otherwise.

At first we were told dad had suffered a mini-stroke, but we soon realised it was more severe.

That was really frightening.

It was a massive shock when I saw him in hospital.

The stroke happened on the right side of his brain, so it affected the left side of his body.

He couldn’t move his left arm or leg. He couldn’t walk or read.

Fortunately it didn’t affect his ability to speak and understand what was going on around him.

So he was still ‘dad’. That’s what I was most grateful for – that he had survived and that he was still himself, aware of what was going on.

I was with him when he had his first physio session.

It left me full of mixed emotions. I was really sad to see him in that state but I felt really proud because he was trying so hard. The physiotherapist was asking him to straighten up and he kept toppling off the side of the bed because he was putting in so much effort. He was over-straightening.

That memory will stick with me forever.

Dad inspired me to write and record a song I’ve called Seize the Day.

I’ve written songs over the years but never done anything with them.

I decided to release this one to raise money for the Stroke Association because I felt really passionate about the charity.