Created to bridge the gap

The Stroke Survivors Foundation (SSF) is a survivor-led, South African non-profit organisation dedicated to improving life after stroke for survivors, families, and caregivers.

SSF was co-founded by George Scola and Charlene Murray, both of whom experienced life-altering strokes in their 30s. While their recoveries were supported by family, friends, and professional rehabilitation, they recognised a stark reality: this level of support is not accessible to many stroke survivors, particularly in South Africa.

Stroke is widely misunderstood and often surrounded by harmful myths. It is frequently misdiagnosed, and while hospitals provide essential acute care, survivors and families are commonly discharged with little guidance on how to manage life after stroke. SSF was created to bridge this gap.

Through engagement, education, and lived experience, our events create meaningful connection and lasting impact.

Why Events Matter

SSF events do more than raise funds. They educate communities, reduce stigma, strengthen partnerships, amplify survivor voices, and sustain long-term recovery support. Every event helps build a more informed, inclusive, and supportive future for stroke survivors and their families.

Key initiatives

A stroke is a brain attack. It occurs when the blood supply to part of the brain is suddenly interrupted or reduced. Because blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain, even a short disruption can cause brain cells to become damaged or die.

The effects of a stroke depend on which area of the brain is affected and how quickly medical treatment is received.

Other Names for Stroke

Stroke may also be referred to as: Cerebrovascular Accident (CVA), Cerebrovascular Attack, Cerebrovascular Incident, or Cerebral infarction.

Types of Stroke

Ischaemic Stroke (Clot)

The most common type of stroke. Occurs when a blood vessel supplying the brain is blocked by a clot - either forming in the brain (thrombosis) or travelling from elsewhere in the body (embolism). An irregular heartbeat, such as atrial fibrillation, is a major risk factor.

Haemorrhagic Stroke (Bleeding)

Occurs when a blood vessel in the brain ruptures and bleeds, causing pressure and damage to surrounding tissue. Often caused by an aneurysm or an arteriovenous malformation (AVM). These strokes tend to have higher disability and mortality rates.

Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA or "Mini-Stroke")

Stroke-like symptoms that resolve within a short time. There is no permanent brain damage, but it is still a medical emergency - often a warning sign of a future major stroke requiring immediate attention.

Brainstem & Cryptogenic Stroke

A brainstem stroke affects breathing, blood pressure, and consciousness and may result in locked-in syndrome. A cryptogenic stroke is one where no clear cause is identified despite testing.

Recovering from a stroke

Recovery after a stroke is individual and ongoing. It is not measured in days or weeks, but in progress over time. Recovery depends on your general health and age, the type and location of the stroke, how quickly treatment was received, access to rehabilitation, and emotional wellbeing and support networks. Recovery can continue for months or years - there is no time limit on improvement.

The Role of the Multidisciplinary Team (MDT)

Stroke recovery is best supported by a Multidisciplinary Team - a group of professionals who work together to address the many effects of stroke.

Caregivers and family are a vital part of the MDT - they provide daily support, reinforce therapy at home, and also need care, information, and respite.

The System Gap

While acute care has improved, the transition from hospital to home remains a critical failure point. Key challenges include inconsistent discharge planning and low referral rates, fragmented care across sectors, limited access to rehabilitation services, and barriers such as cost, transport, and lack of information. This results in poor recovery outcomes, increased caregiver burden, and higher risk of complications and recurrent stroke.

The Solution

The pathway introduces a system-integrated model linking acute care directly to long-term recovery through embedded hospital referrals, immediate post-discharge engagement, proactive information delivery, and a nationwide support network of community and virtual support at scale.

1. Paralysis (Hemiplegia)

After a stroke, it is common for one side of the body to be weaker or paralysed. People may experience weakness or loss of movement on one side, difficulty walking or keeping balance, reduced control of the arm, hand, or leg, and muscle stiffness. With therapy and support, movement may improve over time, but recovery is different for everyone.

2. Speech Problems (Aphasia & Dysarthria)

A stroke can affect the parts of the brain responsible for speaking and understanding language. Aphasia affects language, not intelligence - someone may struggle to find words, have difficulty understanding, or know what they want to say but be unable to express it. Dysarthria affects the muscles used for speech, causing slurred or slow speech and a weak voice.

3. Swallowing Difficulties (Dysphagia)

Some survivors have difficulty swallowing. This may include coughing or choking when eating or drinking, difficulty chewing, food sticking in the throat, and anxiety around eating. Professional assessment helps people eat and drink more safely.

4. Memory & Cognitive Impairment

A stroke can affect thinking and mental skills. These changes are often invisible. Common difficulties include memory problems, difficulty concentrating, slower thinking, trouble planning or organising, and feeling easily overwhelmed.

5. Fatigue & Post-Stroke Complications

Fatigue is one of the most common and misunderstood effects of stroke - fatigue is REAL. Post-stroke fatigue is not just feeling tired; it can involve severe physical and mental exhaustion, fatigue not relieved by rest, and tiredness triggered by thinking, socialising, or busy environments.

6. Grief After Stroke

Many survivors experience grief, even if no one names it. You may be grieving the loss of independence, changes to your body or abilities, changes in work, roles, or identity, and the future you expected. This grief is normal and valid. The stages - shock, anger, bargaining, sadness, and acceptance - are not a straight line and can overlap or repeat. Acceptance does not mean liking what happened; it means learning how to live with it.

7. The Invisible Effects of Stroke

There is often more to stroke than what you can see. Someone may look "fine" while still struggling every day. Invisible effects - fatigue, memory problems, emotional changes, and sensory sensitivity - can have a major impact. These challenges are real, common, and not a sign of weakness.

Supporting someone you love can be meaningful - and also exhausting and overwhelming.

Changing Roles & Relationships

After a stroke, family roles often change suddenly. Carers may take on responsibilities without preparation, shift from partner, child, or sibling to caregiver, and experience changes in intimacy and emotional closeness.

Emotional Impact on Carers

Caring brings many emotions, often at the same time - ongoing stress and worry, guilt about not doing "enough", sadness or grief for how life used to be, anger followed by shame, and fear about the future. These feelings are common and understandable.

Emotional Lability in the Survivor

Some survivors experience emotional lability, where emotions feel sudden or uncontrollable - crying or laughing without warning, or rapid mood changes. This is caused by changes in the brain. It is not deliberate or personal.

The Invisible Load of Caring

Much of caring happens unseen. Behind the scenes, carers manage appointments, medication, and paperwork, emotional reassurance, vigilance and planning, financial pressure, and their own unspoken emotions. This invisible load is heavy and ongoing.

Support groups provide safe, structured, and supportive spaces where stroke survivors and carers can share experiences, learn from one another, and navigate life after stroke with greater confidence.

Stroke affects more than the body. It impacts identity, relationships, emotions, thinking, work, and family life. Support groups address these realities in ways that medical care alone cannot. For many, they are the first place where people feel heard, believed, and accepted again.

How SSF Support Groups Work

SSF support groups are structured, survivor-centred, and non-medical, peer-to-peer in nature. They are facilitated by experienced survivors and designed to be welcoming, practical, and relevant. Groups may be offered in person or online, helping reduce barriers related to mobility, transport, and geography.

A Guided Journey of Topics

SSF support groups follow a carefully considered progression of themes that reflect the real-world recovery journey - emotional regulation and anxiety, grief and identity, cognitive changes and fatigue, communication and social confidence, physical limitations, independence and mobility, relationships and family dynamics, caregiver–survivor balance, coping skills, and planning for the future.

Professional Counselling Support Through Lifeline

SSF's partnership with Lifeline South Africa strengthens our model by recognising that some emotional challenges require immediate or professional intervention - providing access to trained counsellors, a confidential space, and 24-hour availability, ensuring no one is left without support between meetings.

The Stroke Survivors Foundation supports survivors and families after hospital discharge. Together, the two organisations create a connected recovery continuum.

Why This Collaboration Matters

Every delay in stroke treatment costs brain cells - and lives. Globally, many stroke patients die or are left permanently disabled simply because treatment was too slow or happened in the wrong facility.

By aligning Angels' acute, hospital-based intervention with SSF's post-discharge support, peer connection, and long-term recovery pathways, survivors are no longer lost after hospital care. Instead, they move through a connected recovery continuum that addresses medical urgency, rehabilitation, emotional wellbeing, and community reintegration.

Speaking at our events, Liberty has emphasised the far-reaching impact of stroke on families and society, and the importance of going beyond financial products to create meaningful change.

Why It Matters

According to the World Health Organization, 15 million people worldwide suffer a stroke each year, with nearly five million left permanently disabled. Early recognition and fast treatment can save lives and reduce lifelong disability.

SSF CEO George Scola has highlighted the urgency of education and support beyond hospital discharge, reinforcing SSF's belief that recovery does not end at hospital discharge - it begins there. Partnerships like Liberty's enable SSF to expand its reach and ensure no survivor or family is left behind.

1. Medical & Informational Disclaimer

The content on this website, including all downloadable documents, brochures, forms, and materials, is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to constitute medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or professional healthcare services. Nothing on this website creates a doctor–patient or healthcare professional relationship. Never disregard or delay seeking professional medical advice because of information you have read here.

2. Accuracy & Limitation of Liability

While every effort is made to ensure information is accurate and up to date, SSF makes no representations or warranties regarding completeness, accuracy, reliability, or availability. Use of this website and reliance on any information provided is strictly at your own risk. SSF shall not be liable for any loss, damage, injury, or inconvenience arising from use of, or reliance on, this website.

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By using this website you acknowledge that you are responsible for how you interpret and use the information, that content is not tailored to your individual medical circumstances, that you will consult appropriate professionals before making health, medical, legal, or financial decisions, and that you will not use the website for unlawful purposes.

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SSF respects your privacy and is committed to protecting personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). We may collect your name, contact details, basic personal or caregiver information, and website usage information (such as cookies and analytics). We only collect what we need to support you and improve our services.

Any personal information submitted (through contact forms, newsletter subscriptions, support group registrations, or donation forms) will be collected only for lawful purposes, will not be sold or shared with third parties without consent unless required by law, will be stored securely, and retained only as long as necessary. We will never sell your personal information.

5. Your Rights Under POPIA

You have the right to access your personal information, correct or update it, request deletion, object to how it is used, and withdraw consent. To exercise these rights, contact us using the details below. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator of South Africa.

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7. Changes to This Policy

SSF reserves the right to update or amend this disclaimer and policy at any time. Continued use of the website constitutes acceptance of any revised terms. The latest version will always be available on our website.

What has happened?

You are 'normal': Researchers have found that there are many common questions, issues, and challenges facing all younger people who have had a stroke, irrespective of their degree of physical disability. Every individual will have a different and unique experience, but it is very important to recognise that you are not alone and that most of what you are experiencing is quite 'normal'.

The journey of recovery from stroke, for both survivor and carers and/or family members, involves various stages of realising the things that have changed and readjusting to the effects these changes have on your lives. Note, not all changes will be obvious in the early recovery period.

Coming to terms with a stroke

Coming to terms with having a stroke is something that many survivors have difficulty with. You may never have been ill previously or have any risk factors for stroke, and thus you certainly did not expect something so devastating to happen to you. As part of your recovery you may find yourself questioning many aspects of your life - what the future holds, your role in society, your relationships, and your ability to work.

Dealing with these potential changes can feel like a grieving process, and often people who have had a stroke feel like part of them has died. In younger survivors this reaction and the anger and frustration involved can feel overwhelming, as can feelings of guilt for the burden the stroke has brought on family and friends.

The Stages of Grief (Elizabeth Kübler-Ross)

The stages of grief were originally described in relation to individuals facing terminal illness, but they can also be adapted to other forms of loss. It's important to note that not everyone experiences these stages in the same order, and some may overlap or be revisited multiple times.

1. Denial

This initial stage often involves disbelief or difficulty accepting the reality of the stroke. Denial protects you from being overwhelmed by the change in your life. Unfortunately, some survivors get stuck in denial and never come to terms with the effects of their stroke.

2. Anger

Anger and sometimes embarrassment are normal emotional responses as the full implications of what has happened are realised. Survivors might direct their anger toward themselves, their caregivers, medical professionals, or their God. Caregivers may feel anger toward the stroke itself or at the unfairness of the situation.

3. Bargaining

This stage involves attempts to regain control or make deals with a higher power. Survivors may make promises to themselves or others in exchange for a return to their pre-stroke condition.

4. Depression

Feelings of sadness, grief, and hopelessness can set in. Survivors may mourn the loss of their previous abilities, independence, or lifestyle. Anxiety after a stroke is often related to fear - fear of dying, of having another stroke, of the unknown, and of losing their identity.

5. Acceptance & Adjustment

In this final stage, individuals begin to come to terms with the reality of the stroke and its consequences. While it doesn't mean they are necessarily "okay" with what happened, it signifies a shift toward embracing the new normal and finding ways to adapt and move forward.