A FORMER teacher whose creative side exploded into action after a haemmorhagic stroke, says there is life after stroke, and advised people not to underestimate the possibilities still open to sufferers

Sarah Gray, 51, from Witney, worked for the MoD at Greenham Common, in Berkshire, before teaching drama at Kingham Hill secondary school, Chipping Norton.

Weeks before completing her first book in February 2012, Mrs Gray suffered a haemorrhage leading to a bleed on the brain, and a stroke that left her unable to speak.

While still suffering from aphasia, which affects communication, the mother-of-two has recovered and has found her voice – as well as a whole lot more.

She said: "Aphasia can take away your dignity every day. I have had severe damage to my processing skills. But strokes or brain injuries in no way thwart your intelligence.

"I could tell you everything I can't do, but I could spend even longer telling you what I can."

While recovering in hospital Mrs Gray could not put together a sentence, but was incredibly able to sing her favourite song, Christy Moore's Ride On, without a flaw.

Since then she and friend Sam Pope, who had the same kind of stroke 10 years ago, have performed at venues in Witney and at the Wheatsheaf pub in Oxford.

The pair are now working on an album. She added: "You would never know looking at us that we had had a stroke. It's only when we speak that the problem comes out."

Mrs Gray's family believe that because the left side of her brain – the logical side – was badly damaged, the creative right side of the brain kicked into overdrive.

She can also recite Chaucer from memory, paints and creates wax art using an electric iron that featured in the Oxfordshire Artweeks open-studio festival last year.

She said: "At Artweeks people asked me 'Where did you train?' and I said 'In the hospital'. I can't read the written word, so I can't go into a card shop. To avoid the problem I draw and send pictures. Creativity gives me a really big purpose.

"There's a film about a man [the musician Edwyn Collins] who had a stroke, called The Possibilities Are Endless. And it's true: The possibilities are endless."

While family life changed irrevocably after the incident, Mrs Gray also noted that it has not all been for the worse. Son Thomas, 21, has set up a thriving charity called Never Gray to raise awareness of aphasia with the help of his brother James. Last December Thomas received the 'Life After Stroke' award from the Stroke Association.

Friend Sam Pope, 52, said: "Years ago people thought Stephen Hawking was dumb. Sometimes people think Sarah is drunk, and it's incredible how many people actually react, thinking you're either on drink or drugs, or even just stupid.

"But I find it uncanny that when Sarah sings, she does it completely fluently. It's quite amazing. When it comes to singing, there's no problem."