Stephen spent 25 years travelling the globe in the music industry with bands from The Ramones to Iron Maiden. After leaving the music industry to become a photographer, he remained busy and was happy. In February 2024, his life changed without warning.
Stephen and his partner Jane owned a holiday let, and while Stephen was preparing the property for a visitor, he suffered a brain aneurysm.
When Jane couldn’t reach him via the telephone, she took a taxi to the property and found him unconscious. Stephen was rushed to Hull Hospital, placed in an induced coma for three weeks and remained in intensive care as multiple organs struggled. “They fought tooth and nail to keep me alive,” he recalled.
After stabilisation in Hull, Stephen was transferred to York Hospital. “I woke up and didn’t recognise the view out of the window. I had a scar and no hair down one side of my head where fluid had been drained. Everything felt strange.”
Fast forward to April 2024, Stephen arrived at Active Neuro’s Woodlands Neurological Rehabilitation Centre in York for a 12-week rehabilitation programme. He thought he might be there for a week. “When I was told we’ll review you in 12 weeks, it blew my mind.”
First impressions and early wins
Having a quiet room of his own helped him settle in. So did Vernie, the first nurse he met. A kidney issue flared in his first week, and he needed to drink seven to eight litres of water a day. “Vernie saw me through it; she was a star,” he recalls. He also credits the medical team, including Dr Foley and Dr Munjal, for steady reassurance.
Therapy began with the basics. Occupational therapy and physiotherapy focused on balance, gait and increasing his confidence. He began using the rails, then a frame which progressed to short walks from Stephen’s room to the gym and back, then longer loops of the garden path.
Daily exercises, such as single leg stands and strength and balance drills, became a habit. Speech and language therapy worked on language and recall. “Word games weren’t my strong point even before all this,” he joked, “so we found practical ways to challenge my brain.”
Practical turned out to be perfect. When a greenhouse needed to be assembled in the garden, Stephen volunteered. “Give me the instructions and I’ll do it.” It became a cognitive and problem-solving session that suited his background in stage builds during his days in the music industry and an earlier career in stonemasonry.
Milestones that mattered
Permission to walk in the Woodlands garden was a turning point, around six weeks in. “I’d walk loops with my stick, then without. It felt like freedom.” Community outings followed: a supported trip into York to his favourite bakery, Bettys, to buy bread and cakes; local errands that tested wayfinding and stamina; and short weekend stays at home, planned and risk-assessed with the team. “They said if anything worries you, jump in a taxi and come back, no questions. That safety net helped me push on.”
Independence is split into daily life. He cooked simple meals, managed medication and gradually took on more at home.
One personal target loomed large: driving. “I had been told that I might not drive again. I’ve a Land Rover I love, and I was determined to drive that.” In time, he passed the checks and got back behind the wheel, an important marker of normality for rural life.
Throughout his psychology sessions, Stephen was helped to process what had happened and map a route forward. Classical playlists on his Spotify helped him focus and relax. “It kept me moving on the days when I felt tired.”
Discharge and what came next
Stephen’s discharge fell on 4 July – “Independence Day,” as he calls it. Staff gathered to wish him well. “It was strange not to turn back into Woodlands at the end of the day,” he said. Within weeks, he and Jane completed a planned move to the countryside, part of a life change that had been set in motion before the aneurysm. “I’m convinced living out of the city has helped my recovery. I walk by the river most evenings to watch the sun go down.”
Late in 2024, routine tests at the hospital indicated early-stage prostate cancer. “It knocked me for six, but I’m coming out the other side,” he said. Still suffering from fatigue, he has follow-ups scheduled, including a scan to check on the aneurysm. “Relief doesn’t cover it when you hear there aren’t any others.”
Eight months on, he sums up the change: “Something shifted. I don’t rush, I don’t stress. All I want to do is be outdoors, walking.”
Giving back
Stephen is keen to support others starting rehab. He hopes to volunteer as a Woodlands ambassador, drop by for a cup of tea with current patients, and share practical tips. He has a longer-term personal goal too, “maybe the Coast to Coast walk or the Three Peaks. Watch this space.”
He remains grateful to the Woodlands team. “From the nurses to the therapists, Kerry in the occupational therapy team, Daniel and Liz the physiotherapists, Liz in psychology, Roxanne the nurse, people took the time to listen and tailor things to me. It wasn’t about ticking boxes; it was about getting me back to my life.”
And to the clinician who coiled his aneurysm? “I met him at Christmas. He was shocked – in a good way – by how far I’d come.”
Asked what he would say to someone about to begin rehab, Stephen paused and reflected: “If you don’t do the work, no one can do it for you. Take the help, set a target that matters to you, and keep turning up. The small laps of the garden add up.”