A West Lothian man who lost the power of speech after a stroke is raising money to thank the charity that supported him.
George Dewar is hosting a concert on Sunday, November to raise money for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland after he had a stroke 10 years ago.
George will host a charity concert at Deans Bowling Club to raise money for Scotland’s largest health charity and showcase the power of recovery thanks to the help he received.
George, 75, said: “I’ve held a few concerts but this one is 10 years after my stroke and I want everybody to see how I’ve got on since.
“It’ll be a nice thing to have. When you have a stroke some folk go down in the dumps but I’ve gotten on alright.
“I received support from CHSS and the support was valuable to me so that’s why I’m raising money for them.”
The venue for the concert is an important one as that’s where George had his stroke.
He explained: “I was going up to the bowling club to a meeting and when I got out the car my voice started wavering. When I got into the club I could hardly talk.
“It was my turn to talk during the meeting and I couldn’t get the words out.
They came back to me and asked me to talk and I slid down the chair.
“That’s when folk realised I’d had a stroke.
“I was in hospital for a fortnight. I lost my speech and I couldn’t talk for about four to five weeks.
“I had a speech therapist in the hospital and she helped me a lot.
“A few weeks later she phoned up the house and we didn’t know who it was and she introduced herself and said she was glad I was talking.
“The speech therapist came to the house and she helped me speak too, I had a lot of really good help.”
Steph Wilks, Community, Events and Corporate Fundraiser for Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland said: “We thank George once again for choosing to raise money for CHSS.
“We’re pleased to hear about his recovery story and hope his concert is well-supported.
“Fundraisers like this help us to support the one in five people across the country who are living with chest, heart and stroke conditions and Long Covid to live their lives to the full.”
Tickets for the concert can be bought from Deans Bowling Club by calling 01506 413789 or by emailing [email protected].
Find out more about fundraising for Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland.
If you’re living with the effects of a chest, heart or stroke condition or Long Covid and looking for advice and information, please contact Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland’s Advice Line on 0808 801 0899. You can also text NURSE to 66777 or email [email protected].
Don’t miss the latest news from the West Lothian Courier. Sign up to our free newsletter here