Seaton filmmaker's aphasia documentary shines a light on hidden disability

In 2019, Seaton filmmaker Jonathan Hirons experienced a bleed on his brain which caused aphasia, a condition which meant he could barely read, write or speak.

His working life stopped on the day it occurred.

"My speech was poor and I could barely read or write, although my comprehension was mostly unimpaired,"

"I couldn't remember the name of the road I lived in."

Aphasia is a disorder of language and communication caused by damage to the language area of the brain.

Sufferers may have had a stroke, severe head injury, brain tumour, or another neurological problem such as dementia.

High profile sufferers include Sharon Stone and Emilia Clarke.

Through lengthy rehabilitation, Jonathan has re-built his life and now has released a documentary to raise awareness of this devastating condition

Over time with the help of his wife and speech therapists, Jonathan regained a significant amount of reading and writing.

While recovering, he met other sufferers through a local charity and immediately recognised that there is not much support post-stroke. With that in mind he decided to make a documentary about aphasia.

The film sets out to show that aphasia is a hidden disability and that there is a lack of support once the initial rehabilitation is over.

Apart from Jonathan's story, the documentary shows that strokes can happen at any age. The film includes the journeys of a 22 year old and a 33 year old following a stroke.

Jonathan crowdfunded the filming of the documentary and released it at the end of 2022.

He is now using the film to raise awareness with organisations such as the NHS, speech therapists and Carers UK. He is also spreading the word in Australia, Canada and the US.

If you want to know more about aphasia and the film, visit http://tipofmytonguefilm.com

The film can also be viewed at http://watch.buffalolounge.co.uk