Summary

At 31, in October 2020, Aaron experienced a stroke so severe his wife Emma was told to plan his funeral. Despite the odds he pulled through and is now sharing his story in support of a campaign between Stroke Association and Mind Cymru to highlight the mental health issues stroke survivors face and the need for better services.
Reflecting on what happened, Aaron, now 35, said: “I yearn for a future in which stroke survivors are walked out of hospital doors with a solution, and a pathway to recovery. A future where stroke survivors don’t say goodbye to their hospital bed and their mental health at the same time. And a future where a stroke isn’t the great unknown for survivors and family members alike, but a clear, concise, careful journey defined by the success of this mental health provision.”

About the Speaker

Aaron Kent is a working-class writer, stroke survivor, and insomniac from Cornwall. He has had books of poetry published with Shearsman and the87press, and poems published in The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The BBC. He is an advocate for stroke survivors, and runs the publishing press Broken Sleep Books. His writing has been translated into languages including French, Hungarian, German, Cymraeg, and Kernewek, and has been set to music.