User:Davidworsley/Valerie Eaton Griffith

Valerie Eaton Griffith was awarded the MBE in June 1977. The citation reads: For services to the rehabilitation of those disabled following a stroke. Taken from the published list, Gazette Issue 47234 published on the 10 June 1977. Page 18 of 40. So, what were the circumstances that led to this?

In 1965, Patricia Neal, wife of Roald Dahl, sufferred a stroke that left her without her vocabulary. They returned to England where Roald faced the problems of his sick wife, the house, and four small children. Failing to get any help from local health providers, he hit on the scheme of inviting friends and neighbours to sit with Pat, and to try to raise her from the lethargy etc. into which she had, quite understandably, fallen.

Val was one of the neighbours that Roald contacted. It turned out a fortuitous connection. Over the next two years and more, Val devised lessons, games, excercises etc. that stimulated Pat's brain. The direct result of Val's work was that Pat returned to the screen - to her career.

As the news spread, Val's postbag started to contain requests for help. She wrote a book covering her experiences and containing copious examples of the lessons that she had created and used for Pat (and another stroke patient, Alan Moorehead who lived locally and became part of the 'schoolroom'). This book, A Stroke in the Family, was published in 1970 by Penguin.

Val helped the formation of other volunteer groups - one of which morphed into the Communications Group of today's Stroke Association. Visit the history article on the website of the Stroke Association. The book remains on their reading list and the lists of several other national and local Stroke associations and support groups. See the reading list of the UK's Stroke Association

The book fell out of print until a member of East Kent Strokes (a support group for stroke survivors, run by survivors) came accross it in Pat's biography As I Am. Val kindly gave her permission, and the book is now back in print.

==References==