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Hanka Mayhew: A Polyglot’s Journey Through Aphasia and Advocacy

Hanka Mayhew lived in Spain for 11 years with her husband and three children, speaking five languages and working as an English teacher and translator until a massive brain bleed left her with aphasia and unable to speak. After three months in hospital in Spain and three in England, she spent a year in a wheelchair relearning how to live. On the Tip of My Tongue podcast, she explains that English and German are easiest, Spanish is slowly returning with little practice, and she can understand some French and Russian but cannot speak them; she retained reading ability but reads more slowly. In February 2024 she joined the Aphasia International Association and became a Say Aphasia ambassador, traveling to assemblies and conferences across Europe and giving talks with therapist support to raise awareness and build an international aphasia community.

00:00 Life in Spain
00:22 Stroke and Aphasia
00:58 Recovery Journey
01:11 Languages After Stroke
03:09 Reading and Fatigue
03:57 Joining AIA and Speaking
05:20 Aphasia Day in Italy
05:53 Future Plans and Travel
07:36 AIA Community and Outreach
11:05 Final Reflections

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The Tavistock Trust for Aphasia website

http://aphasiatavistocktrust.org