Transcript of
Acquired dyspraxia: Dom’s story
I was in Cyprus, on a work placement from university,
and we all went out one night on mopeds.
We were driving along and I don't remember,
but we hit a ditch or something and came off.
Just a bang on my head left me in a coma for three months,
with doctors saying I'd never walk or talk again.
From what I'm told, the physios were doing work while I was in the coma,
and then I had speech therapy.
I couldn't speak, so I've had to learn to speak again.
My head injury has affected everything from my right arm to my right leg,
because it was total right-side weakness.
So I still limp. I had to learn to write left-handed.
I've had to eat one-handed.
I have to ride a bike with all the gears and all the brakes on one side.
Driving, I've got a steering wheel knob and the indicators are all there.
I find a struggle anything that involves using the arm.
It's like picking my new daughter up.
I can't just pick her up, I've got to position myself right
and do a lot one-handed.
I've not been able to feed her properly. People have to pass things to me.
And not being able to pick her up and bounce her and stuff.
It changed me physically.
It changed what I couldn't do, what I thought about, what I wanted to do.
Occupational therapy is good,
because it looked at what I could do with one hand, and that was computers.
I took it from there, went back to college,
did a B-Tech and then a HND in graphic design.
I was into fitness, so I went back to the gym and got on the treadmill
and I couldn't do it properly.
I could feel people watching me. Went on the weights, couldn't do that properly.
Got on the steps and couldn't do that properly. Got on the bike
and nobody knew!
Cycling is just something I found I can do.
It takes a lot of concentration when I go out on my bike,
and if I lose concentration, I fall off.
But it's just something I love. I enjoy doing it.
There's so much that I can't do and I could get really angry and frustrated,
but you just have to smile and get on with it.