Check In

There were a lot of people who thought I was going to be pretty useless after the stroke... Piers and producer Stuart get together to discuss the current state of Piers’ stroke recovery. Recording the podcast has been an 18-month process and a lot has changed over that time, so with the season dra…

The Other Side of the Story Part 2

There's no one right way of doing things. The only right way of doing things is you knowing what feels right and what is meeting your needs both in terms of goals and intensity. In this second part of the discussion between Dr Andy Kilov and Pier’s wife Jane, we hear about the weeks after leaving …

The Other Side of the Story Part 1

So he came out of the bathroom and I sort of grabbed him and I said to him, “Can you say something to me?” and he went rrrrr and I said OK, this is not right.  We have heard a lot about the stroke experience from Piers, now it is time to hear from the other person who the stroke has had a major ef…

Recovery Processes With Psychiatrist Samantha Loi

If you had something bad happen to you, I think everyone should be allowed to wallow for a while. I mean, God, you're allowed to be a bit upset, really - but I think many of us are very hard on ourselves, we expect a lot of things about ourselves, and we expect a lot of things about people around u…

The New Normal

I was in a state of such flux. Was I returning to work or was I not? And if I wasn't, what the hell was I going to do with myself?  And the answer to that was of course, accept what you can't control and take control of what you can. Once I let that go, that's when the anxiety really started to lif…

Driving in Fog featuring poet Joel Deane

I was desperate to get out and pretend I was alright. And when I got out, I was desperate to regain what I’d lost. I was scared. That’s the truth. Writer and journalist Joel Deane joins Piers for a raw and honest conversation about how it feels to be a young stroke survivor. Joel’s experience is v…

Rehab Part 2 – Managing expectations

There is a huge desire to transition from being a stroke victim into being a stroke survivor as quickly as possible ... but it's absolutely unrealistic. Being realistic about recovery timelines is vital after stroke, and it's a lesson Piers had to learn the hard way.    Piers speaks again to Dr A…

Rehab Part 1 - Speech, or lack thereof

It’s really important in the early days of stroke rehab to be sticking to an achievable routine, and it’s a routine that’s really different to what you’re used to.  Piers is joined by his speech pathologist, Dr Andy Kilov, to discuss his experience with cognitive fatigue and the complexities of ap…

Inside the ER with Nurse Practitioner Kylie Tastula

We are very aware that "time is brain." For us, that's our mantra. Piers speaks to award-winning nurse practitioner Kylie Tastula about the admission process for stroke patients, the changing nature of stroke treatment over the years, challenges faced by young stroke survivors and, most critically…

First Response with Paramedic Sally Dennes

People often don't realise that even as they ask further questions, we're already mobilising resources to you.  Sally Dennes is an intensive care paramedic in Sydney. She gives us insight into what happens when first responders arrive at a stroke situation.     Unexpectedly in the episode, Sally …