6: Dr. Kate Allatt
Join me for an interview with Dr. Kate Allatt who suffered a brainstem stroke when she was 39. Dr. Kate is an inspiration speaker, Fighting Strokes Founder & CEO, and author of Running Free: Breaking Out from Locked-in Syndrome, plus so much more.
“They wanted to switch me off for the benefit of my family. That hurt. I felt worthless. Took me years to get my sense of worth back.”
“The secret of life is to: make a difference in the world, to collect memories of those you love and to belly laugh at least once a day.”
“Peer support is so important. They’re not bloody weird. Other people feel the exact way you do, even though every stroke is different.”
“I was a middle child, the stopgap, with a huge chip on my shoulder which stood me in good stead in my recovery.”
“I had so many identities I wanted the world to see me before the stroke and afterward I had no value, no self-worth, no identity. I didn’t know who I was anymore.”
“The minute my team said to “send her to a nursing home, she isn’t going to recover” … I said don’t you dare write me off. I’m going to bloody well show you. I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I’m going to walk out of here.”
“It’s so important for people to be given time and space to do things independently.”
If you could go back in time, what would you tell your pre-brain-injured self?
“Do not let anyone lower your expectations. And to stop living in the future.”
To can learn more about Kate:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Running-Free-Breaking-Locked-Syndrome/dp/1908006641
Available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Music for the thought echoes podcast created by Andy Dovey of Brain Attack Music. Thank you Andy!