In January 2003, at the age of 50, Mike Ripley had a stroke. To use his own words: “Stroke is by its nature an isolating disease. In the first instance it isolates you as a person from your brain, then from parts of your body, your memory, your ability to communicate, your capacity to understand what is happening. The effect of this is to isolate you from your family and loved ones, your work, your social life, your life outside your home or a hospital ward. It is the cruellest and loneliest of afflictions.”

“Surviving a Stroke” is Mike’s story of the stroke itself and the next year of his recovery. He had to battle with memory loss, slow thought processes, clumsiness, vertigo and other long term effects of a stroke. On top of that he had the emotional fallout to cope with, including the typical depression that sets in. And he had to adjust to a new diet and medication to control his high blood pressure.

“Surviving a Stroke” not only recounts Mike’s reaction to his own stroke, but it also incorporates a mass of practical tips and advice for anyone else recovering from a stroke. As a comic crime thriller writer, Mike Ripley looks for the humour in any situation, and finds it even in this one.

“A must read for anyone who wants to survive a stroke with their sense of humour intact. It’s a measure of Ripley’s courage and writing ability that he treats his ’slings and arrows of outrageous fortune’ with such an enviable lightness of touch.” Minette Walters

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