Two strokes, paralysis and loss of speech.
Yet Roy Mackintosh from Surrey has continued to develop his painting style selling more than 700 paintings in his career. He now plans to start exhibiting with galleries and commence teaching next year.
A full-time artist since the 1980s, Roy's life suffered a major blow on Valentine's Day in 2007 when he had a minor stroke and was rushed to hospital.
"Three days later I had a major stroke," recalls Roy, a former finance manager from Long Ditton. "Cause was uncertain but believed to be the result of an incomplete tooth extraction that had become septic causing blood poisoning. My mitral heart valve became infected, then damaged and it was this that caused the strokes through small particles of infected tissue entering the bloodstream and then the brain. Suffice to say it was a life changing event but one that I was determined to beat."
Open heart surgery to replace the valve with a mechanical titanium one, followed. The whole devastating process of diagnosis, treatment, surgery, recovery and elimination of infection took more than three months.
Rehabilitation from the damage of the strokes (loss of speech, right side paralysis, loss of the ability to spell words,) was lengthy. Roy's right-hand side was paralysed for several weeks. As function returned it was vital that Roy made the most of the windows of opportunity that appeared. Wife Lorna, an opera singer, provided a great deal of support throughout and continues to do so.
"The Kingston Hospital Speech Therapist again and again remarked that I mastered in one day the exercise that she gave me for the week," smiles Roy, who admits being exceedingly stubborn. Treatment from Tom Greenway, who provided expert medical care to the Olympics teams from Atlanta in 1996 to London 2012, was a major factor in helping Roy, quite literally, back on his feet.
A keen painter since he was young, Roy's distinctive style has secured him many loyal customers. Most recently one client has bought six paintings and commissioned another two.
April 12 to May 3, 2014
Up to 20 of Gerald Green's paintings feature in a three person show at The Wykeham Gallery, Stockbridge, Hampshire. Tel: 01264 810364. www.wykehamgallery.co.uk
