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'Music gave me my voice back after having a stroke'

Ethan Gudge
BBC News, Oxford
Watch: Mr Perkins had been silent for weeks before singing an Elvis Presley song

The power of music has been credited by a stroke victim for allowing him to recover the use of his voice.

Paul Perkins, from Grove in Oxfordshire, was left unable to communicate after falling ill in April 2023.

The former carpenter could not speak due to a condition called aphasia - often caused by brain damage as a result of strokes - that can also impact people's ability to read, write or understand language.

Having rediscovered his voice through the songs of Elvis Presley, Mr Perkins is now highlighting the positive impact music and singing can have for others like him as part of Stroke Awareness Month.

"I was working in Wantage, and [a customer] said to me 'do you want a cup of tea"Red and glass building with Emergency Department written on it. There are plants, a pavement, lamp posts and a fence. There are houses in the background." class="sc-d1200759-0 dvfjxj"/>

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