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Still Ben | Life after stroke

@stillbenlife

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Haemorrhagic stroke at 42 🧠
The good, the bad & the bits nobody talks about.
♿ Recovery • Family • Life
Still me. Still Ben.

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Hi, I’m Ben 👋

On 24 September 2025, at 42 years old, I went to work.

I didn’t come home.

I had a haemorrhagic stroke.

What followed was something neither me nor my family could ever have been prepared for …intensive care, feeding tubes, hospitals, hoists, wheelchairs, rehab and eventually learning to stand and walk again.

There are parts I remember.

There are parts I don’t.

And there are parts my wife remembers that I probably wish she didn’t. 😂

We’re starting Still Ben because there’s so much about stroke and recovery that nobody really talks about.

The difficult stuff. The undignified stuff. The frustrating stuff. The tiny things that suddenly become enormous achievements.

But also normal life.

I’m still a husband. Still a dad. Still obsessed with country music. Still an NFL fan. Still loving the banter.

Life changed on 24 September.

I’m still me. Still Ben.

And this is what happened next. ❤️ by @stillbenlife

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2 months ago

Just an ordinary morning.

24 September 2025.

I left home and went to work.

Nothing unusual. Nothing to suggest that this would be the last time I’d walk out of our front door for a very long time.

Later that day, at 42 years old, I had a haemorrhagic stroke.

I didn’t come home that night.

11 months later, I still haven’t come home.

It’s strange watching this back now. I had absolutely no idea what was coming.

That’s the thing about the moment before your life changes forever…

You don’t know it’s the moment before.

This is where my story really begins. ❤️

#StillBen #LifeAfterStroke #HaemorrhagicStroke #YoungStrokeSurvivor #StrokeRecovery by @stillbenlife

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2 months ago

Why am I telling my story?
Swipe through →

Still Ben. ❤️ by @stillbenlife

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2 months ago

24 September 2025.

I was on a late shift.

At the beginning of the shift I remember taking the piss with one of my colleagues, telling her I was going to phone in sick the next day so I didn’t have to work with her 😂

Later that afternoon I remember speaking with passengers and getting a banging headache.

I remember coming back into the office and stumbling. People were asking if I was alright.

I remember my vision starting to go.

I vaguely remember what I think were firefighters coming in and speaking to my colleagues.

And then… nothing.

I don’t remember the ambulance.
I don’t remember the first hospital.
I don’t remember being transferred to the second.

Weirdly, I can’t even remember what I had for dinner that day, how I got to work or what vehicle I drove in.

There are parts of that day I can picture clearly, and then there’s just a massive blank.

That’s where my version of 24 September ends.

The rest has had to be told to me.

Still Ben.

#StillBen #StrokeSurvivor #HaemorrhagicStroke #StrokeRecovery #LifeAfterStroke StrokeAwareness by @stillbenlife

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2 months ago

Where my memory stops, hers begins. ❤️

I don’t remember any of this.
My wife remembers enough for both of us.

And this is only the beginning of what happened next.

Still Ben. by @stillbenlife

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2 months ago

Not every part of our story will be shared. ❤️
Some memories are still too personal.
And some aren’t ours alone to share.
But our story doesn’t stop there.
Still Ben. by @stillbenlife

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a month ago

I MISSED THE LAST ONE.
I WASN’T GOING TO MISS THIS ONE. ❤️

I had a haemorrhagic stroke.

Yes, I survived.
Yes, I’m determined.
And yes, I’m working my arse off at rehab.

But there are parts of recovery people don’t really talk about.

Like how much planning it can take just to be a dad.

While I was in neuro rehab, I missed my son’s leavers’ performance at his old school.

Today was his first performance at his new senior school.

I missed the last one. I wasn’t going to miss this one.

But going to watch your kid perform isn’t as simple as getting in the car and turning up anymore.

The wife had to take time off work, drive over half an hour to get me, make sure I’d eaten around my medication, sort our daughter and arrange childcare with the in-laws — who’ve been her absolute rock through all of this. ❤️ BIG shout out to the mother-in-law!

She’d already checked the parking and accessibility the night before.

And we still got there early.

Because getting out of the car takes time. Transferring into my wheelchair takes time. Getting into the building takes time.

The school were brilliant and gave us the choice of accessible seating at the front or back.

We chose the back.

I’m 6ft 4. I’ve spent my whole life worrying about blocking someone’s view, and my kids have always known to look for us at the back.

Apparently a wheelchair hasn’t changed that. 😂

Then there are the things people probably don’t notice.

It was bloody cold. Every time the doors opened, another blast of cold air came through.

Someone stood next to my wheelchair clapping inches from my ear. They probably didn’t give it a second thought.

And that’s kind of the point.

From the outside, it looked completely ordinary.

A dad went to watch his son perform.

But behind that ordinary moment was food, medication, childcare, accessibility, parking, transfers, temperature, noise, timing…

…and a wife quietly organising about 47 things so I could be there.

And I was.

At the back, where my kids know to look for me, watching my boy perform.

I missed the last one.
I didn’t miss this one. ❤️

Still Ben. by @stillbenlife

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8 days ago

RIGHT THEN… WHO’S IN? 👀

On Saturday I’m starting my next challenge…

100 MILES. 10 DAYS. 💪

I’ll be doing my 100 miles on the MOTOmed as part of my stroke rehabilitation.

But I don’t want to do this one on my own.

I’m challenging you to match me.

🚴 Cycle it
🏃 Run it
🚶 Walk it
🔀 Or mix it up

However you do it, every mile counts. You’ve just got 10 days to reach 100 miles.

A year ago I definitely wouldn’t have imagined I’d be sitting here challenging other people to keep up with me 😂

We’re doing it to raise awareness and hopefully a few quid for the Stroke Association, supporting other stroke survivors and their families.

You can join in without fundraising. You can donate without joining in. Or you can just follow along and give me some grief when I start complaining about my legs. 😂

3–12 October.

So… CAN YOU MATCH BEN? 👀

If you’re joining me, tell me below 👇❤️

#CanYouMatchBen #StillBen #StrokeRecovery #StrokeSurvivor #StrokeAwareness StrokeRehabilitation 100Miles Fundraising poster for “Can You Match Ben?” featuring a photograph of Ben’s feet using a MOTOmed rehabilitation exercise bike. Ben is challenging people to match his 100 miles in 10 days, from 3–12 October 2026. People can cycle, run, walk or mix activities to complete their 100 miles. The challenge is raising awareness and funds for the Stroke Association, with a JustGiving QR code included. The poster uses navy, blue and white graphics with illustrations of cycling, running and walking and the words “Let’s do this together.” by @stillbenlife

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15 days ago

Today I survived a 9-year-old’s birthday party with 15 eight/nine-year-olds. 😂🎳

It was our daughter’s 9th birthday party at @guildford_spectrum and we had such a brilliant day with her friends and some of our family.

I also wanted to give a massive shout-out to the team at Spectrum Bowl.

From the moment we booked, they were brilliant with the accessibility side of things.

They made sure we had lanes right by the ramp so I could get to them easily in my wheelchair, and when we arrived they gave us access through the back so we didn’t have to mess around with lifts or trying to work out another route.

Nothing felt like a problem.
Nothing felt awkward.
It was just made easy. ❤️

And when you’re trying to organise a family day out after a stroke, that makes a bigger difference than people probably realise.

And now?

I’m absolutely knackered. 😂

That’s another part of stroke and brain injury people don’t always see. I get tired so much more easily than I used to.

A day like today is brilliant, but my brain and body definitely know I’ve done it.

Worth every bit of it though. ❤️

So if you’ve got accessibility needs and you’re trying to organise a family day out, I’d definitely recommend giving Spectrum Bowl a go. 🎳♿

And most importantly…

Happy 9th birthday to my girl. ❤️

Still Ben.
#LifeAfterStroke #StrokeRecovery #AccessibleDaysOut. taken in Guildford Spectrum Leisure Complex by @stillbenlife

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19 days ago

One year. ❤️

24 September 2025, I left home for work. I didn’t come home.

A haemorrhagic stroke at 42 changed pretty much everything overnight.

Since then there have been hospitals, ICU, tubes, hoists, wheelchairs, rehab and more physio than I ever knew existed. 😂

But there have also been a hell of a lot of firsts.

First drink. First meal. First sit. First stand. First steps. And slowly, bits of normal life coming back too.

I’m not where I want to be yet. I’m still in rehab, still working hard and still waiting for the day I can properly come home.

But when I look back at where I was a year ago…

Bloody hell, I’ve come a long way. ❤️

And I couldn’t have done any of it without my family, friends and the incredible people who have looked after me along the way.

One year on.
Still recovering.
Still working.
Still going.

Still Ben. ❤️

#StillBen #StrokeSurvivor #HaemorrhagicStroke #StrokeRecovery #LifeAfterStroke StrokeAwareness by @stillbenlife

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21 days ago

It might look like I’m having a lie down… 😂

But yesterday started with another physio session, working hard on left-sided bridges and movement.

Then came the much better bit.

It was my daughter’s birthday and I got to be Dad at the school gate. ❤️

I got to wait there and pick her up from school. Something I would never have thought twice about before my stroke.

Then we got to celebrate her birthday together. 🎂

And eventually I had to leave them and go back to rehab.

That’s still the hardest bit.

We’re waiting for the adaptations that will make home accessible for me, so for now I keep going back.

Physio isn’t really about exercises. It’s about getting back to this stuff.

School runs. Birthdays. Family.

The ordinary things. ❤️

Still Ben. by @stillbenlife

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a month ago

Since my stroke, my wedding ring has stayed around my wife’s neck. She put it there that day and it hasn’t left her since.

But right now, it doesn’t fit comfortably on my affected hand.

I really want to wear a ring again.

So we’re asking you lot… what would you do?

Resize my original?
Wear it on my other hand?
Get another ring for now?
Or is there something we haven’t thought of?

If you’ve been in a similar situation, I’d really like to hear what worked for you. 👇

Still Ben. by @stillbenlife

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a month ago