Bristol racing car driver returns to driving following a stroke

Eddie Ruskin from Yate had a stroke in 2014 that left him with paralysis down his left side

A racing car driver who had a stroke said he felt he had got "his life back" working as a driving instructor for people with disabilities.

Eddie Ruskin from Yate had a stroke in 2014 that left him with paralysis down his left side.

Since recovering, Mr Ruskin has gained an advanced driver's licence, the level at which police are required to train.

"I was successful in being able to return to driving, which has given me my life back," Mr Ruskin said.

"Normally, there is only a 50/50 chance of driving after a stroke, and for me it meant the world."

Mr Ruskin was at work when he had a stroke.

Mr Ruskin gives driving lessons to people with disabilities at Able Driving Academy

"I was alone in the workshop in the dark and cold," he said.

Realising an ambulance would not find him down there, he forced himself to drive home and his wife then called an ambulance.

At first, the medical team could not believe he had managed to drive home.

"I have done a lot of driving in my life, building kit cars in my 20s and I've spent 16 years on the race track," Mr Ruskin told BBC Radio Bristol.

"They reckon because I had so many neurological connections in the brain for driving, that is the only reason I was able to make that journey."

'You feel isolated'

Since recovering from his stroke, Mr Ruskin gives driving lessons to people with disabilities at Able Driving Academy.

He also gives talks for the Bristol After Stroke charity about how he learned to drive again following his stroke.

"After a stroke you feel really isolated, you feel like you are the only person," Mr Ruskin said.

"When you come into Bristol After Stroke, you realise there are a whole lot of people just like you with challenges and you are not isolated anymore."

Rebecca Sheehy, the charity's chief executive, said having a stroke can change people's lives and the charity exists to support people alongside their recovery.

"It happens overnight, one minute you are out and about, having a normal life, and the next day your life is completely turned upside down," she said.

The charity offers peer support and advice alongside people's recovery.