Two years ago I could never have imagined this was the journey life would take me on. Before suffering a stroke I had minimal knowledge about strokes probably like the majority of people in their early 30s. Thankfully I am glad to say that I am still here to tell my story, and my purpose is now to promote stroke awareness as much as I can.
Eighteen months ago I was at the peak of my life; I had just married my amazing husband nine months before and we were both thriving in our careers, he had just started a new challenging role in systems engineering and myself a government lawyer who was mentoring a large stream of new starters. I had also been a sitting magistrate for three years, just completing my threshold appraisal weeks before my stroke. We discussed our wishes of having children and we were very much excited for all our future plans as any other newlyweds. However, little did we know waiting around the corner was about to be one of the most traumatic events that can happen to a couple so early on in a relationship. On 16 April 2023, I suffered a haemorrhagic stroke while driving. The saving grace is no accident occurred, and my husband reacted quite quickly when he noticed I was mounting the curb.
Fast forward to now, I reflect on enduring one of the hardest tests that can be thrown at you in life and marriage. My Christian faith carried me through, and I write this article with gratitude for being able to share my story as it all could have gone terribly wrong. My recovery has exceeded medical expectations throughout the year and with the amazing support from my physiotherapists, my family and friends, my colleagues and most importantly my husband, I have regained my full independence. It is true what they say, what doesn’t kill you truly makes you stronger. Although I still have left-sided weakness with severe muscle spasticity which at times requires me to use my walking stick outdoors or wear a leg support, I am determined to not let this defeat me so early on in my life.
I am truly the happiest I have ever been, and life has more purpose. I could go on to live for as many years as I’ve currently been alive and this time, I want to make it count. There is still life after stroke, it’s just what you tell your mind!
My bench chair was very supportive during my recovery. At no point did I feel pressure to return to the bench – Black Country bench – which meant during my leave of absence, which lasted about eight months, I was able to fully focus on recovery with no stress at all. Being from the Black, Asian and minority ethnic community and one of the youngest magistrates on my bench, I already at times felt the feeling of not “fitting in”, so being disabled to add to that really exasperated my insecurities every time I went to court. Mentally I would struggle with the constant anxiety of planning my journey to court, and then how I would get up the stairs as there are no lifts via back entrance for some of the courts I attend. I had a personal emergency evacuation plan arranged for every court building that I entered, however, nonetheless, I do in general find older court buildings not really accessible at all. I cannot walk for long distances and do find the long corridors exhausting at times. My fellow magistrates have been extremely supportive and I encourage all magistrates to always be sensitive to people’s differing needs. It’s okay to offer help even if someone looks like they are coping.
It is imperative to have an inclusive bench and before my stroke, even I perhaps may have only thought that to include racial or gender diversity. However, the need for more magistrates with differing disabilities is key to ensure the bench is representative of the communities we serve.
I would encourage applicants to do their research with their local bench during observations of a court to see how they can accommodate their disability. The most important thing is not to automatically write yourself off and deprive the judicial system of your unique outlook in administering fair justice.
