Dad “caught in his own body” after stroke leads to locked syndrome

A young father of two devastating strokes led to Locked syndrome – A heartbreaking condition where you are conscious, but cannot move – but his wife says there may be a treatment that can help him regain his “independence and dignity.”

Gareth Bayley was only 38 when in April 2022 he started fighting with a headache every day for a week. The construction professionals, who come from the London suburb Bexley, criticized it up to stress – but then he called his wife, Karen, to share that he did not feel well. She rushed to her job, where she had been told that he had collapsed and had an attack, according to Daily mail.

Gareth continued to have seizures on her way to the hospital, where the doctors confirmed the next day that he had had a stroke in the brain stem. It triggered Locked syndromeA devastating condition where someone is fully conscious, but cannot move or speak. It is rare, but as Battle Association Explains that it is usually caused by a stroke in the brain stem.

“He is still him – he is completely there and remembers everything. It’s just that he can’t speak or move. It’s like he’s trapped in his own body. The doctors told us that he would probably never move again, apart from small eye movements,” Karen said.

“Gareth is a fighter,” she continued. “For the past three years he has regained some movement: he smiles, he laughs and his expression has returned in the way we were told may never happen.”

These progress has been encouraging, explains Karen and inspired them to raise money for a functional electrical stimulation (FES). It is a personal stationary bicycle that sends electrical impulses to paralyzed muscles to help them regain function, according to Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation.

“We tried to get it financed because he is in a nursing home, but because it was so expensive, the financing refused because it was not considered a” substantial equipment. “But for us it is important. Gofundme. At the collection she explains, “Gareth is a fighter. He has regained a certain head movement, he smiles, he laughs and his expression has returned in the way we were told may never happen. Every little step forward has given us hope that more recovery is possible … Every day Gareth wakes up Gareth decided to continue fighting.”

Karen, who shares children Brooke and Jesse with Gareth, further explained that “it would help increase his muscle strength, prevent pressure ulcers, improve the movement area with his arms and legs, help his joint mobility and help his muscle spasms,” per Daily mail. “It can give Gareth the best possible chance at further recovery, independence and dignity.”

Although he is currently in a nursing home, “my husband has expressed that he wants to come home and be with me and the children again,” she said. “The goal is to have him home again.”

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