Such was the impact on her when she was first diagnosed, she said she just wanted to die.
Nicola Harkin is one of the estimated 10,000 people in Northern Ireland who live with aphasia – a condition that is the result of damage to the part of the brain that controls communication. It could be the result of a stroke or serious head injury.
A new BBC One Northern Ireland documentary, Lost for Words, on Wednesday, January 23 at 10.40pm follows the courageous story of Nicola who developed aphasia after suffering a stroke at just 22 during her final year at university in Manchester.
Noel Thompson - whose own family experienced the condition when his late mother-in-law suffered a stroke – presents the documentary and follows Nicola as she battles with aphasia. Noel finds that it can be an incredibly frustrating condition as those with it are often able to comprehend perfectly what people say to them and have no problem formulating answers, but have great difficulty in trying to say what they want to. It can also affect reading, writing and arithmetic as well as speech.
Nicola, from Swatragh, talks to Noel about how she battles daily with the condition, how it affects her every day and the range of emotions she deals with including anger, frustration and depression. Noel meets her friends and family who explain what it was like in the immediate aftermath of Nicola’s stroke and what impact Nicola’s aphasia has had on them since.
She also sheds light on what it is like dealing with public ignorance of aphasia and the challenges she faces in her future.
Noel is also patron of Speechmatters, the only local charity that supports people with aphasia. There, Noel meets some of the other people who also suffer with the condition, sees how the organisation helps them overcome the disability and hears from those who provide support, care and therapy.
Noel Thompson said:
“Lost for Words is a story of physical and emotional pain, but there is ultimately an optimistic message. Nicola and the other sufferers we meet are incredibly positive people, managing to stay bright in the face of extraordinary frustration and difficulty. So the next time you come across someone who has trouble with their speech, show a little consideration and sympathy. You have no idea what a difference that will make to their lives.”
Lost for Words, presented by Noel Thompson, is on BBC One Northern Ireland at 10.40pm on Wednesday, January 23.