'Music gave me my voice back after having a stroke'

The power of music has been credited by a stroke victim for allowing him to recover the use of his voice.

Paul Perkins, from Grove in Oxfordshire, was left unable to communicate after falling ill in April 2023.

The former carpenter could not speak due to a condition called aphasia - often caused by brain damage as a result of strokes - that can also impact people's ability to read, write or understand language.

Having rediscovered his voice through the songs of Elvis Presley, Mr Perkins is now highlighting the positive impact music and singing can have for others like him as part of Stroke Awareness Month.

"I was working in Wantage, and [a customer] said to me 'do you want a cup of tea?' and I said 'yes, OK'," the 68-year-old told the BBC.

"She gave me the cup and I put it down, and next I know I fell straight - I went down.

"That was the end of me."

Miriam Doyle began playing music for Mr Perkins during his recovery

Mr Perkins said he does not remember anything more until he woke up in hospital three days later unable to speak.

He felt like he did not know anything and would have to re-learn basic life skills.

"I was a carpenter all my life and now, all of a sudden, I've got to start like a little baby," he said.

"I could do talking [in my head] but it wouldn't come out of myself," he explained.

He said the "terrible" situation left him feeling "useless" and asking "why me?".

It was during his time in hospital that Mr Parker's partner, Miriam Doyle, began playing music for him.

She said: "He's always loved music of any sort, and so I thought I'd play him music in the background."

The first song Mr Perkins sang was Elvis Presley's Can't Help Falling in Love, which featured in the film Blue Hawaii

Two weeks after the stroke and now back at home, Ms Doyle said she spotted Mr Perkins listening to music on an iPad.

She "looked up and saw him mumbling away" to Elvis classic Can't Help Falling in Love. It was the first time Mr Perkins had audibly communicated since the stroke.

"For both of us there were goosebumps and tears," she said of the moment.

Mr Perkins is now able to speak, having had to relearn the alphabet, and attends singing groups with other stroke victims.

"People really don't know to do some singing, and all of a sudden you start to come into yourself," he said.

"I still struggle with my speech, but singing has given me the confidence to keep trying."

Ms Doyle said she was "immensely proud" of how her partner had "reinvented himself after his stroke".

"He'd always been a very shy and unassuming person, but now he's putting himself out there to try and help others and to raise awareness," she added.