Ref. 29612-9Stroke victim Natasha Thorne is hopeful that Lottery funding will help aid her recovery.

She is a member of the Wiltshire Young Stroke Group, which learned last week that it was to receive a £5,000 grant from the National Lottery Awards for All programme.

The group is planning to use the money to launch hand therapy sessions.

Natasha, 28, suffered a stroke last August aged 27, and lost all feeling in her left arm.

The youngest member of the group, she said: "I'm getting better all the time but my left arm still doesn't work properly.

"Doctors say I will return to full fitness, but I have no idea when this will happen."

Natasha, of Cheney Manor Road, thought she was perfectly healthy and has no family history of stroke problems.

Doctors are not certain what caused it, but believe it might have been connected to Natasha taking the contraceptive pill.

She said: "It came totally out of the blue and has turned my life upside down.

"I take nothing for granted now. I struggle to do a day's housework."

Natasha used to work in the accounts department at Heath Lambert in the town centre, but has not been able to return to work. She was kept in hospital for two months after she suffered the stroke and had to learn to walk again.

"It's been so hard," she said. "When you have a cough, you take medicine and you get better. But with a stroke, there's no quick solution.

"Because I'm so young and most stroke victims are usually older, doctors are always keen to try new treatments out on me.

"I have been quite a guinea pig, but I'm prepared to try anything if it means my life might be easier."

And Natasha and the other members of the Wiltshire Young Stroke Group are keen to try out the hand therapy that the Lottery funding will pay for.

Group spokeswoman Pauline Turner said: "We are delighted to receive this Lottery grant. It will allow us to launch our hand therapy sessions which the group will all benefit from."

There are around 30 members who regularly attend the group's monthly meetings.

Ex-Liverpool reserve goalkeeper Michael O'Hara will take the hand therapy sessions, using his own technique. His sessions are similar to physiotherapy sessions and aim to improve sense and feeling in the hand.

Pauline said: "The £5,000 Lottery grant is great, but it will only fund four or five months of sessions."

She is keen to hear from anyone who might be able to offer financial support to the group so that hand therapy can continue.

Anyone interested in helping can call her on 01793 875774.

Tens of thousands affected every year

Although stroke victims are usually over 55, cases have been documented in children as young as three.

Each year more than 130,000 people in England and Wales have a stroke. Of those, about a third are likely to die within the first 10 days. About a third are likely to make a recovery within one month and the rest are left disabled and needing rehabilitation.

Stroke has a greater disability impact than any other medical condition. A quarter of a million people in the UK are living with long-term disability as a result of stroke.

Most strokes occur when a blood clot blocks the flow of blood to the brain. Some strokes are fatal while others can cause permanent or temporary paralysis to one side of the body. Recovery may be slow and varies greatly.

Emma-Kate Lidbury