Follow us: hu Improving life after brain injury Need to talk? 0808 800 2244 Donate Home About brain injury Individuals Brain injury and me Tracey Newman Share your story Share your story with us to help others affected by brain injury Tracey Newman I hate feeling reliant on my family and friends Experiencing a stroke is unfortunate enough, but for Tracey Newman a stroke led to a fall down the stairs and further devastating injuries. In January 2019, 44-year-old Tracey, from East Sussex, was enjoying an evening at home with her friend. Despite being in the process of pouring only her second drink, her friend noticed she suddenly appeared very drunk and started slurring her words. Tracey headed to bed early, however in the middle of the night her friend was awoken by a loud crashing noise and got up to find Tracey lying unconscious at the bottom of the stairs, bleeding from the back of her head, mouth and right ear. Tracey was rushed to hospital where scans revealed she had experienced a cerebellar ischemic stroke which had caused the apparent drunken symptoms and led to the fall. Unfortunately, the consequences of the fall also meant Tracey had sustained multiple facial and skull fractures and a further brain injury. Tracey faced a long six months of daily rehabilitation and, to-this-day, she still experiences the effects of her stroke and fall. “I have weakness, limited movement and sensation in my left limbs,” said Tracey. “I have to use a stick to walk and my balance is bad. “I also experience mild aphasia, difficulties reading and writing and sensory problems." Sadly, Tracey’s mental health has also suffered and she has been undergoing therapy to help her come to terms with the impact of her injury. Tracey with her children “I become very quickly overloaded and confused,” said Tracey. “I hate feeling reliant on my family and friends.” Thankfully, Tracey feels like she is over the worst and is making good progress. She’s beginning to look to the future. “My future plans are to recover as much as I can, and maybe even work again. But I’m keen to do a job that focuses on good, rather than pay. “I’m also keen to travel as much as is possible - my girlfriend has travelled the world and I’d love for us to travel together.” When asked what advice she would give to other brain injury survivors, Tracey advises patience is key. My lack of patience made me feel mentally worse. I was determined to be back to normal in a week or two and I see now that wasn’t realistic. “I would tell people there is a strategy to cope with absolutely anything. I pride myself in finding many of them." Try to stay positive and live for the moment! Back to stories index Stroke A stroke is an emergency condition in which there is a disruption of blood supply to part of the brain, leading to brain injury. Find out more Physical effects Most people make an excellent physical recovery after a brain injury, but ongoing physical problems can have a real impact on daily life. Find out more Brain injury and me Find out more Related resources Coping with communication problems after brain injury Mental health and brain injury The effects of brain injury Friends of Headway Individual membership Join/Renew Contact Us t: 0115 924 0800 e: enquiries@headway.org.uk Help us improve life after brain injury. Donate Improving life after brain injury 0808 800 2244 Call our free helpline 9am - 5pm, Monday to Friday. Or email helpline@headway.org.uk Join our online Community 27k Likes 25k Followers 3k Subscribers Privacy policy Cookies Terms & Conditions Accessibility Contact Us Resource centre Find a Headway Approved care providers Charity shops Fundraising comments, feedback and complaints Vacancies Join our mailing list Headway - the brain injury association is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales (Charity no. 1025852) and the Office of the Scottish Regulator (Charity no. SC 039992). Headway is a company limited by guarantee, registered in England no. 2346893. © Copyright Headway 2021 - Site designed and developed by MEDIAmaker By clicking 'Accept All Cookies’ you agree to the storing of cookies on your device. This will help us to offer the best possible experience and develop more of the information you need. Accept All Cookies Cookies Settings