During my GCSE year at secondary, my dad had a stroke. December 21st 2001. I'm quite certain that I felt it didn't affect me at all, but the reasons for this are many and varied. Suffice to say, when it came to exam time, I found the study leave a much better period of 'party and not care' rather than studying. I ended up falling short of my predicted grades but still decent none the less.
My dad's stroke was brought on by stress. He was working a full time job, plus going to commitees and meetings at every oppotunity, rarely coming home before 11pm (Two fingers to you lot who think all civil servants are lazy, granted most are). Looking back now, I can't help but really deeply hate him for doing it. I know he was only doing what he loved, which he did, and still does, which many of us can only hope for. But I still hate him for it.
I always think it's selfish of me for hating him, but then I think it's selfish that my dad basically drove himself to having a stroke instead of enjoying his family. I've never said this anywhere outside of my head before, but I really do resent him for doing this.
A few weeks before his stroke, coming back from a guitar lesson we had a good talk about him and his life, which made me really what a great person he was, someone to look up to. Then the idiot goes and has a stroke. Since then he hasn't been the same , following lots of rehab (Rehab UK do great work), he went back to work for a while, and has since moved into consultancy. His health has suffered but what I miss most is the dad he was. I want my old dad back.